


10 Rules of Rebounding

by smkkbert



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Rebounds, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-06-15 02:55:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 119,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15403404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smkkbert/pseuds/smkkbert
Summary: Oliver and Felicity start a sex relationship as rebounds for each other. What’s supposed to be just fun, soon gets complicated when it turns out that their work lives collide, Robert Queen fears their sexual relationship could threaten his company and an ex comes back into the play.





	1. Step 1: Get right back in the game

**Author's Note:**

>  
> 
> Welcome to my new multi-chapter. It’s been months in the making, and I still have some chapters to write, but I am positive that I will finish writing this story in the next weeks. Special thanks to @evilelmo2383 for taking the time to edit this story and encourage me to go on with it. Updates every Monday!

He really wished he would just get stranded on a deserted island for a few years. It wasn’t even the first time he thought about it, but right now it sounded more compelling than it ever had before.

He would just disappear from Starling and be untraceable for a few years, enjoying the sun and the time for himself as long as it lasted. That would allow him to get some distance between him and everyone and everything that pissed him off so much lately and hence help him as well as the people that were currently pissed off with him.

Sometimes, taking a break was the best and the only thing you could do. Once things had calmed down, he would come back to a changed and therefore better life with people who had hopefully missed him and didn’t want to risk losing him again by forcing him into a life he didn’t want or behave like strangers that he didn’t know.

Oliver smiled almost reverently at the idea. He knew all he had to do was convince his father to let him borrow his boat, the Gambit, and direct it into some storm to increase his chances on something like this happening. It might help reconnect him with the people who had use to be closest to him and a life that he actually felt was worth living. It was a nice plan, far from reality but nice.

When his friend put a glass with a pink liquid in front of him, Oliver lifted his gaze. Tommy was standing on the other side of the bar, his hands propped up on the surface of the counter and a dishtowel put over his shoulder. He was in full barkeeper-mode and usually a pretty good one at that. At the drink he had just served his friend, Tommy was grinning in amusement, though.

“What?” Oliver asked, lifting the glass and eying up the drink in it closely. “Did we run out of vodka shots?”

“No, but this one is called _Sweet Unicorn_ , and, as I see it, it always cheers the ladies up. It could help you too.”

Oliver shot Tommy a brief look, and his friend’s grin widened in response. Oliver just rolled his eyes at that. Over the last years, he had tested at least two hundred different cocktails of all colors, so he didn’t mind testing another pink one. He took a sip of the drink and screwed up his entire face at the terribly sweet taste.

“This is horrible,” Oliver said, trying to suppress a cough. He put the glass down on the bar and pushed it far away from him like putting some distance between him and the drink would be enough to get rid of the terrible taste that his mouth seemed to have with now. He wouldn’t be surprised if he passed out and drifted into a sugar coma right here and now. It would still be better than where his life was currently going to, but he didn’t want the club to fall into disrepute for poisoning the people coming here. “Please tell me you are not adding that to the cocktail menu.”

“Too late,” Tommy replied with a chuckle. “I was already convinced to add this and two other new drinks. Nine out of ten probands said it was a must-add. The new menus are currently in print. I have a sample in the office in case you want to take a look.”

Oliver snorted. “I am out of the club for two minutes, and you are already changing everything.”

“It’s just the cocktail menu,” Tommy replied, “which we were planning on expanding anyway. Besides, I actually think it’s the least of your problems when it comes to changes in your life.”

“That’s actually true,” Oliver agreed with a sigh, “terribly true.”

His life had been far from perfect, especially these last few years. At least he had been able to have some things that made his life pleasant, though. Verdant, the club he and Tommy had built together was the most important one of it. It had filled him with pride, knowing they had built this club from scratch and turned it into one of the top addresses of the city. He loved working here, loved the loud music, the dancing crowd and just everything about here. Now his father forced him to give up all of this, though.

Oliver snorted at the thought. His father of all people forced him to give up something he loved and join the family company instead. For the past ten years, Oliver had struggled against his father’s wish, and he had thought he had been quite successful at it. With Verdant, he had thought he had proved to be quite successful in this area, so his father would see that his interference was unnecessary. Apparently, he had been terribly wrong about that, though. Owning a club did not seem to match with the plans his father had for him, and everything that had happened in the last few years hadn’t taught his father anything it seemed. He hadn’t become any softer.

As a child, Oliver would have loved to be like his father. He had always seemed like a great master of the universe, so incredibly powerful. It had seemed like nothing could have made his father even just stumble on his way to success. It had always appeared like he had had everything a person could want, and Oliver had wanted the same for himself. Now his family was broken. His girlfriend had left him. He had been forced to give up on the club and had to start working in his father’s company instead. It all just took away from the pleasantness of his life.

“Do you want a shot?”

“One?” Oliver asked and snorted. “Better make it five.”

Tommy shot Oliver a disapproving look, but he didn’t say anything about it. Oliver knew that his friend knew how hard this situation was for him. He guessed that was the reason why he didn’t say anything. Usually, Tommy wouldn’t mind criticizing his friend if he threatened to misbehave, especially in their club. No matter what his friend would or wouldn’t say, if this was one of the last evenings Oliver got to spend at Verdant, he would use it to say goodbye in the only way you could really say goodbye to a club. He would get drunk.

When Tommy put the five glasses on the bar in front of Oliver, he simply grabbed the bottle of vodka from the other side of the bar and poured the liquid in, filling the glasses almost to the rim. Oliver pulled the first glass closer.

“This one is for my family that is not only scattered to the four winds but where also everyone hates the other with a passion.”

He put the glass to his lips and angled his head back, letting the vodka run down his throat and burn all the way down into his stomach. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, but Oliver didn’t mind. There was nothing pleasant left in his life, so he could make his body feel this physically a little bit more, too. Without much pause, he let the next three shots follow – one for giving up on the club, one for having to work at his father’s company soon and one for Helena breaking up with him in the middle of all of this mess. He looked at the clear liquid in the glass for a moment, wondering which of the reasons his life sucked so much was worth the last of his shots.

“This is just because my life sucks,” Oliver concluded after a moment. He raised the glass like he wanted to toast to someone and eventually knocked the vodka back with one gulp. “Okay, I am just getting warm.”

While Oliver was pouring himself another lap, Tommy walked around the bar to his friend. He put a hand on his shoulder. Oliver knew he probably wanted to hold him back on getting drunk. He wouldn’t let himself be held back tonight, though. He wanted to get so drunk that he forgot all his problems and his name and just about everything.

“Wanna hear some friendly advice?”

“If it’s not about the alcohol.”

Tommy shrugged his shoulders. “You can always drink here as much as you want. Now that you’re no longer a manager of the club, you can trust me not to hold you back on a drink.”

Oliver bit down on his tongue, biting back a comment that of course Tommy could be generous now that the club was his alone. Oliver knew better than to say this out loud, though. His friend would have happily continued to manage the club together with him. They had been a good team, and they had even discussed building a second club. Holding the situation against him wouldn’t be fair. Tommy hadn’t chosen this.

“So, what’s your advice?” Oliver asked instead. “And please don’t tell me not to pity myself anymore.”

When Tommy perked up his eyebrows, Oliver rolled with his eyes. Of course that would be his friend’s advice. As much as he understood his frustration with the current situation, Tommy just couldn’t understand the depth of it. He had never been in a situation like this which given the lack of his father’s interest in him wasn’t necessarily any better. For him, who had spent half of his childhood with the Queens, it just had to be hard to see that the generous Robert Queen wasn’t half as good as a father as he tried to make himself out to be. He had his good days, but that was all the positive you could say about him and his fatherhood.

“Any other advice?”

“You should see it like this,” Tommy said urgently. “Your family is still alive, and your father is interested in your life. In a few months, either you will enjoy working at Queen Consolidated which means your father has been right all along, or you will still hate it, so your father will give up. Either way, you will get along better. Your father will know that you at least tried to follow in your father’s footsteps, and you will know if you really don’t want to work at QC or if you just don’t want to work there out of defiance.”

Defiance, Oliver thought to himself. He wasn’t sure he would call it that. In his teenage years when he had done a lot of stupid things and his father had punished him for it, it might have been defiance that had turned him against his father’s plans for him. Now, it was much more than that. He was almost thirty years old. He shouldn’t be forced to try a way he had precluded for himself years ago just because his father insisted on it. He didn’t want to work there despite his father’s wishes not because of them.

“As for Helena,” Tommy continued after a moment, “do yourself a favor and get back into the game. You don’t have to find someone new to be with permanently yet, but you should go find someone to have fun with. Get laid. You never dwelled this long in a breakup before, especially not one you saw coming from ten miles ago.”

Tommy patted his friend’s back before he headed to the VIP area. That had used to be Oliver’s job in the club. Tommy felt safest behind the bar, mixing new cocktails and keeping an overview on everything that happened on the club. Oliver had loved to be in the middle of everything happening. Talking to people, encouraging them to let loose and enjoy the night was much more his thing.

It was one of the reasons why he and Tommy had always worked together well and why they were such good friends – they complemented each other. They had shared interests and ideas, but they were still quite different at the same time. That way, they didn’t get in each other’s way. It also meant that they didn’t always agree on everything.

Oliver knew Tommy had meant well with his advice. He also knew he was actually having his fling right now. Since the decision that he would start working at his father’s office had been set, Oliver had gotten drunk a few times too many and had taken care of himself a few times too rarely. Tommy was right to tell him to stop pitying himself because Oliver should stop pitying himself. He just didn’t know how to get out of this. He didn’t know how to stop pitying himself. He was too deep into it to just stop and change it now.

So, how was he supposed to stop pitying himself? His family was broken far beyond repair. They were all still alive as Tommy had pointed out, but their relationships were so destructed by now that Oliver wasn’t even sure he could still call them a family. They were family to him, but, as a group, he wasn’t sure they were still a family. His parents didn’t talk to one another. His sister refused to talk to their parents. It felt like he was the link between all of them though he wasn’t sure how long he could still be the link between his father and the rest of the family. He didn’t make it easy to defend him.

Oliver also doubted that his dad wanted what was best for him. For the last ten years, Oliver had emphasized that he didn’t want a part in the family company. He had never been interested in it, not if it took more than considering himself being the boss who made decisions and got a lot of money. Regarding any contents, he wasn’t interested at all. He knew what the company was about, more or less at least, but he had no idea about the details, and he couldn’t say that he was particularly interested, either.

Things between him and Helena were complicated, always had been. They had been together for years now, though. He had known they had problems, but he hadn’t thought they were that bad. If she hadn’t ruined their relationship, everything would have been fine. Since Helena hadn’t been able to stop urging him, everything had ended, though.

With a deep sigh, Oliver put the bottle of vodka away. He downed the three shots he had poured himself and turned around on the chair to look at the dance floor. Maybe Tommy was right in that one thing he had said, and he should just try finding someone for the night. While Tommy couldn’t understand the problems, Oliver had with his father, but Tommy did understand a little bit about heartbreak. His advice on that was much more appreciated. Oliver sighed once more as he thought about his time before Helena now. Finding someone to spend a night with hadn’t been much of a problem before they had gotten together. It shouldn’t be a problem now.

Oliver looked at the people who were singing and dancing, enjoying their night. Another wave of nostalgia took hold of him and urged away his thoughts about letting loose for a moment. He was really going to miss this. It was a big step to go from a night club into a big company. A completely different life was waiting for him there, one that he wasn’t exactly looking forward too. He was sure that his father hoped for Oliver to settled down and for his life to become calmer, maybe start a family with a beautiful, rich girl and two kids that could be shown off like he and Thea had been used to show the picture-perfect family the Queens were on the outside.

Realizing that he was about to get sucked down into his pity a little too much once more, Oliver shook his head. Tommy was right. Looking for a beautiful woman to spend a nice night with might cheer him up more than that terrible drink had managed. It wouldn’t solve his problems, but it would take away his worried for a night, and he could use a night or even just a few hours of distraction. At least he hoped that would happen. He could use a night of distraction and-

When his eyes met a pair of grey-blue ones, his thoughts came to a sudden stop. There was a determination in her eyes that drew him in, making it unable to look away. Without knowing her or looking at her for long to allow any deep analyses, he knew that was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted. If the expression in her eyes was any indication, right now she might actually want him.

While she continued looking at him, Oliver let his eyes drift over her body. She had long blonde hair that fell around her face and down her shoulders in soft curls. A tight-fitting dress emphasized the beautiful curves of her body. She looked tiny in the middle of the dancing crowd which was interesting given the height of her high heels. She had to be even smaller without these shoes.

Oliver moved his tongue against the inside of his cheek as he continued watching her. She wasn’t his type at all. He was usually much more into the model-type of women. Long legs and dark hair were his preferences. Yet, he couldn’t avoid realizing that he was turned on by the beautiful blonde. She wasn’t his type, but she seemed interesting, and that was probably even more important.

Oliver was just about to turn to the barkeeper and order one of the ladies’ drinks for her when the blonde suddenly started approaching him. Oliver watched her move over the dancefloor, walking towards him with the same determination in her steps that still shone in her eyes. Not moving a bit, Oliver stayed where he was and just continued watching her with held breath and perked up eyebrows. He actually wondered if she was going to jump or punch him. If he could choose, it was certainly the first, but something in the sparkle of her eyes told him that the second was a realistic option, too.

When she stood close to him, Oliver could see how upset she really seemed to be. It wasn’t only the sparkle in her eyes, but almost everything about her body language that told him that she was upset. Her full lips were opened slightly, and her chests were heaving with her quickly breathing. Her cheeks were slightly reddened. She looked even more beautiful now than she had from across the room. Anger apparently looked good on her which Oliver knew wasn’t the case with every woman.

“Are you single?”

For the break of a second, Oliver thought about a good answer. It didn’t take long until the tone of her voice caught up with him, though. It was just as determined as her eyes and movements before. If that was any indication, this wasn’t a woman who wanted a funny response to start a nice conversation that would eventually turn into flirting and the offer of a date. This was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted, and she wanted it right now and right here.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Without hesitation, she almost threw herself at him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, one of her hands stroking into his short hair, and she wasted no time to capture his lips in a kiss. Her tongue moved over his bottom lip, and Oliver groaned sensually in response. The blonde used that opportunity to stroke her tongue against his immediately. Oliver groaned once more, his arms wrapping around the woman’s waist and pulling her closer. He could feel her entire body pressed against his, and both of them seemed to urge only closer to the other. Oliver parted his legs, allowing her to step between them and come even closer to him.

The kiss was passionate, intoxicating even. Her smell and her taste invaded his senses. There was chemistry between them or whatever you called the thing that made you kiss a person you didn’t know like you kissed her a million times before. It was like he knew exactly what she liked, and she knew exactly what he liked. Their lips and tongues moved together. The fact that he didn’t know who she was, not even her name, just added to the excitement.

When the blonde pulled away, her lips opened in a quiet pant and slightly swollen from the kiss, Oliver licked his lips. The blonde’s eyes followed the movement of his tongue, and a quiet sigh fell from her lips. There was a moment that they just looked at each other, and Oliver could feel her seeking the answer to her unvoiced question in his face. Her pupils were blown wide, the longing for more in her eyes. Oliver couldn’t help but feel infected by it. He nodded slowly, moving just enough for her to see.

A smile spread on the blonde’s lips. It was hard to tell with the darkness in the club, but Oliver could swear that she was blushing. If there was indeed a short touch of shyness, she got over it soon. The determination took over her facial expression again. She took his hand, lacing her fingers through his, and started tugging him away.

Oliver followed her, still trying to process what was happening here. He was used to girls trying to throw themselves at him. He came from a rich family, and he had been in the tabloids more often than he could remember. He didn’t look exactly unattractive, either. He had never had a woman just kiss him and tug him away into a dark corner or wherever they were going without saying anything. It was hot, encased in mystery and filled with sexual tension. It was thrilling, more thrilling than anything that had happened in Oliver’s life lately.

It took Oliver almost a beat too long to realize where she wanted to take him. The moment he realized that she was tugging him towards the toilets, Oliver changed their direction abruptly. He opened the door to his right that led to the office. He was surprised that it hadn’t been locked. He and Tommy had always made sure the door was locked, so nobody was coming in here. He was kind of relieved that Tommy seemed to have forgotten about the door tonight, though. He could use the room, so he pushed the mysterious woman inside.

As soon as he closed the door behind them and locked it, she was throwing herself at him in the best way possible again. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her body pressed against his. Her lips were already stealing another series of kisses from his lips, but Oliver didn’t mind. Her lips were so soft, the robbery so gentle, she could take a thousand kisses from him, and all he would do was thank her.

His arms just tightened around her waist, pulling her against himself even more, when she took hold of the lapels of his leather jacket. She pushed herself against his chest, trying to get even closer to him. Oliver could feel her breasts rubbing against his chest, and it made him growl. After only a moment, she pushed him away from her forcefully, though. Oliver tumbled back a few steps until the backs of his knees met the edge of the couch, and he fell down into the soft cushions.

“What-?”

When her lips widened to an amused as well as suggestive smile, Oliver pushed his tongue into his cheek and cocked his head. Yes, she definitely knew what she wanted, and Oliver couldn’t be turned on more by her determination to go through with this. As she stood only a few feet away from him, he couldn’t avoid thinking that she looked sensual and erotic, like a young femme fatale, but far from cheap. He couldn’t even explain it, but there was something classy about her that was far from looking cheap.

With a suggestive wiggling of his eyebrows, Oliver reached out his hand for her. Her smile widened, and she put her hand in his. She kneeled on the couch over his leg and leaned closer until her face was hovering right over his. Her fingers stroked through his hair, her nails scratching over his scalp, as their lips met in another hungry kiss. She lowered herself onto him slowly. As soon as she sat in his lap, she started rocking her hips against his.

Oliver groaned in response and bit into her bottom lip. The blonde giggled for a moment, but it soon turned into a long moan when Oliver thrust up against her, meeting her rocking movements on top of him. His half-hardened cock seemed to press against her clit just the right way because low hiss escaped her lips before she pressed down onto him harder. She was chasing the feeling, testing different angles of her hips before she continued rocking against him in always the same movement.

She grabbed the lapels of his leather jacket once more and tugged the fabric down his arms. Without much hesitation, she let his shirt follow, pulling it over his head and dropping it on the floor carelessly. When her hands started exploring his broad chest and the defined muscles there, they both moaned in unison. Her fingers were moving over his heated skin so eagerly, trying to feel all of him against the palm of her hands.

It didn’t take long for Oliver to be so turned on that his cock was pressing against the zipper of his jeans and his hips were almost moving on own accord. He moved his hands to her hips, meaning to stop of her movements. He was unable to bear the thought of having her stop, though. It was why his hands actually encouraged her movements, helping her rub against him before he pulled her down onto him even more strongly. She answered to his encouragement with a long moan against his lips.

A satisfied smile spread on his lips at her reaction. It turned into a confused frown when she put her hands to his chest and slid off his lap, though. Oliver groaned, feeling his cock aching for more friction.

“Condom,” the blonde demanded, still panting heavily.

Oliver nodded. He patted the pockets of his jeans to check if he had any condoms there. His pockets seemed to be empty, though. Oliver hurried to put his hands to the blonde’s hips and push her away from him, so he could walk over to the desk. Only in the last drawer he opened, he finally found the little foil packages. He grabbed one and wasted no time going back to the couch where the blonde climbed back onto his lap immediately.

When she started working on unbuckling his belt, Oliver moved his hands up the outside of her thighs. He let his fingers travel over her soft skin, enjoying the way goosebumps spread when he touched her. He tugged the hem of her dress up her legs until it pooled around her waist. He hooked his fingers into her panties and started tugging at the thin lace. The blonde got the hint and got up from his lap to take off her panties. In the meantime, Oliver tugged down his pants. His erection got free, and he couldn’t stop himself from forming a fist around it and pumping it a few times.

Oliver groaned at the touch. It was incredible how easily he had been turned on by the mysterious blonde. The whole situation just seemed to set his body on fire. He didn’t wait any longer. He opened the foil package and rolled the condom onto him. At the same time, the blonde climbed back on top of him, naked from the waist downwards.

His erected cock was longing for something more. Not losing any time, Oliver used her kneeling position to stroke his fingers against the inside of her thighs and against her sex. The blonde bit down on her bottom lip and let her head fall back into her neck. A needy moan fell from her lips as her face screwed up in pleasure. Oliver couldn’t avoid thrusting up against the empty air at the sound. He stroked his fingers deeper inside of her, trying to tickle that moan out of her once more, and she moaned once more indeed.

She was wet, and she felt so wonderfully soft. His fingers glided in and out of her wet channel smoothly. As his fingers adapted a slow rhythm of thrusting in and out of her and she rocked her hips against his fingers, Oliver just watched her. She was enjoying herself, her eyes screwed shut as if she wanted to focus on nothing but herself. Oliver couldn’t hold it against her. He had enjoyed making out with her, and he would enjoy going further with her. None of this would have happened if she hadn’t seen him and taken her chance. It was a gesture of gratitude to give her back for that. Besides, watching her enjoying herself did something to him, too.

When her inner walls started fluttering around his fingers, Oliver pressed his thumb against her clit. It was all it took to make her tense above him. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, and her lips opened in a soundless cry. Oliver used his fingers to take her through her pleasure, making her feel every drop of the waves of pleasure that ran through her body.

Oliver pulled his fingers out of her core slowly and squeezed the back of her thigh. The blonde’s eyes opened, meeting his. Her pupils were blown wide, interest sparkling in her eyes as his fingers that glistened with her wetness. Never taking his eyes off her, he lifted his fingers to her lips and licked her juices from his fingers appreciatively. The blonde’s eyes watched him intently, and she licked her lips to wet them.

When Oliver hummed around his own fingers, the blonde seemed to get eager to move thing along. She took hold of his cock, pumping it once. A strangled cry fell from Oliver’s lips at the touch. She didn’t waste any time, though. She positioned him at her entrance and moved the tip of his cock against her wet folds for a moment before she sank down onto him.

Once she had taken all of him in, she put her hand hands to his shoulders. Oliver wrapped his arms around her waist and put his flat hands against her back. Biting down on her bottom lip, she started moving. She just lifted herself off him slightly before she sank down again. She moved slowly, her eyes focused on him.

After only a few thrusts, the blonde stilled, his cock deep inside of her. A quiet moment passed that neither of them moved. They just looked at each other, building the heated passion of before back up. Oliver couldn’t say who moved first, but suddenly their lips were on each other’s again. They kissed passionately, their bodies starting to move in unison. He stayed still when she lifted herself off his lap, and he thrust up when she lowered herself back onto him. Soon, their movements got quicker, both of them chasing more. Their moans and the sounds of their skin slapping together, echoed through the room and mixed with the beats of the music they could hear from the club.

This was exactly what Oliver needed, he thought to himself. After days of wallowing in his pain, letting loose and just enjoying the moment was great. It really was all he needed. For a few minutes, he could just forget all the mess with his father and Helena and everything really. He could just focus on the way this beautiful stranger moved on top of him and the way it made him feel a passion he hadn’t felt in a long time. Every single one of his nerve endings was on fire.

When he thrust up particularly firmly, her lips parted from his. She angled her head back, letting it fall into his neck. Her eyes were open, but they didn’t seem focused. It wasn’t like she was staring at the ceiling. Her eyes weren’t really taking in where she was looking. There was an expression of utter pleasure on her face. Internally smiling, Oliver straightened up a little and leaned his head forward, brushing his lips against her tender skin that covered her pulse point.

He moved his tongue against the side of her neck, sucking lightly. The alluring taste of her skin made him moan against her skin. The sound made her body vibrate, and she released a moan of her own.

Oliver quickened his thrusts, putting his hands to her hips to pull her down on him firmly. Heat coiled in his lower stomach, threatening to be released to take his whole being away on a wave of pleasure before she was ready. The way she moved and moaned made it hard to focus on increasing her pleasure, though. It was hard enough to focus on not coming right away.

When she moved her hand in his hair and pulled it back, so she could steal a heated kiss from his lips, Oliver let go of her hip with a groan. He moved his hands between their bodies until he found her clit. With quick and precise movements, he flicked his thumb against her clit.

“Oh!” she cried out in response, her fingers grabbing his hair even more tightly.

Angling his head back to look at her, he continued flicking his thumb against the sensitive nub. Indeed, all it took were a few more strokes in time with the thrusts of his hips, and she fell apart on top of him. A long moan escaped her lips, and Oliver put his hands back to her hips to maintain her rocking movements when her own body threatened to give up. As the fluttering of her inner walls increased once more, Oliver rested his head back against the headrest of the couch and came with a long moan, releasing into the condom.

His beautiful blonde leaned against him with a sigh. Her arms wrapped around his neck loosely and her head rested against his shoulder. They were both panting, and Oliver could feel her heart racing in her chest as quickly as his did.

Bit by bit, their breaths got calmer and deeper. Silence started filling the room.

Oliver wondered what the protocol for situations like this called for. Before he could figure out if this was any different from usual one-night stands where you actually knew the other person’s name and have taken her home for a night of fun, the blonde got up from him. They both groaned at the loss of contact, but it didn’t last long.

“Can I refresh myself anywhere here?”

Oliver nodded to the door next to the couch. “There is a small bathroom.”

The blonde nodded. She picked up her panties from the floor and walked over to the bathroom. Oliver waited for a moment, giving her the time that she might need. Only when the water was being switched off, he stepped into the bathroom after her. The blonde had readjusted her dress and put on her panties. She was now trying to work on adjusting her hair. As Oliver stepped in front of the mirror next to her, she made room for him. Oliver trashed the used condom and used a few paper towels to clean himself up. He watched her in the mirror, and they both grinned when their eyes met.

While the blonde already went back to the office, Oliver tugged his jeans into place. With one last brief look into the mirror, he moved his hands over his hair, trying to tame the wild strands that were sticking out in every direction. When he looked at least acceptable, he followed her. She was picking up a purse he hadn’t realized she had dropped to the floor before.

Oliver puckered his lips, wondering what to do now. He was sure that she knew that he was watching her. She didn’t allow that to have any influence on her, though. She just took her lipstick from her purse and used a small mirror to refresh the lipstick he had probably licked off her lips during their kisses. Oliver watched her for a moment long. After a brief consideration, he approached her.

“So,” he started, rubbing his hands together, “who-“

Before he got to say anything more and ask for her name, she turned around to him. With a smile, she put her fingers on his lips, stopping him from continuing. She cocked her head and shot him a slightly amused look.

“Please,” she said gently. “This was nice and all. Let’s not ruin it by making this any more than it was.”

Oliver needed a moment to process her words. As soon as he realized that she was serious, and she didn’t even want to know his name, he grinned. He guessed he had never met a less complicated woman, and that meant a lot because he was trying to avoid complicated women. His life was complicated enough without clingy women who believed some fun was reason enough to link themselves to him for the rest of their lives. This woman seemed to be nothing like that. She knew what she wanted, and she didn’t change her mind after two mind-blowing orgasms.

Lifting his hands in defeat, he replied. “You are right.”

The blonde smiled with relief before she rolled her eyes slightly. “Besides, let’s be honest. We will never see each other again.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows. “Didn’t you like this evening?”

“I did.” She chuckled. “You were kind of the highlight and when I say _kind of the highlight_ I mean that you have been an acceptable end to this really crappy day.”

Oliver put his hand to his heart. “Ouch.”

The blonde chuckled, walking over to him and framing his face with her hands. “No offense, but we don’t want to boost your ego more than is good for you. You are handsome, really handsome actually, maybe the most handsome man I have ever seen and- yeah, I am going to shut up now.”

She pressed her lips together, and this time there was no doubt that she was blushing. She seemed to be tempted to pull her bottom lip between her front teeth to bite down there and suppress another ramble. While she was able to avoid another ramble, she couldn’t prevent an almost embarrassed expression on his face when she realized her hands were still on his cheek with her thumbs moving through the short stubble. She quickly pulled her hands back, holding them to her chest like she had just gotten burned.

Oliver bit down on the inside of his cheek and just watched her. He couldn’t deny that there was something amusing about her ramble. After she had seemed to be so in control about everything, he hadn’t thought that she was the babbling kind of girl.

“You were the acceptable end to this really crappy day for me too,” Oliver replied eventually.

“Just acceptable?” The blonde cocked her head.

“I never give out more compliments than I get. Sorry.” Oliver grinned. “But you are really beautiful and interesting.”

“That sounds a lot better.”

The blonde grinned back at him before she turned to the door with a chuckle. She walked over to it. With the door handle already in her hand, she turned around to him with a seductive smile.

“Thanks for the diversion, Stranger.”

“Same goes right back to you, Stranger.”

She winked at him before she unlocked the door and stepped outside, closing the door behind herself. Oliver stayed where he was in the middle of the office and grinned to himself. After a moment, he sat down on the couch, going through what had just happened.

His sex life hadn’t been boring these last few years. Helena had been very creative between the sheets. Yet, this little encounter with his beautiful, mysterious blonde had been much more interesting than anything he had tried with Helena lately. He couldn’t say if it was just the thrill of not knowing who she was or the fact that she had basically come to him with the very intention of devouring him like a femme fatale. Maybe it had been just how great they had harmonized here on the couch. Either way, Oliver was sure he would remember this night for quite some time.

Oliver was just about to get up to get back to the bar when the door opened, and Tommy stepped in. He looked at him with perked up eyebrows, taking a quick look into the room to check if he was alone.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

Oliver nodded. With a grin, he got up and walked over to Tommy, shrugging his shoulders.

“Everything is fine,” he replied eventually, his grin only growing wider. “I just remembered how great it is to be single.”

Tommy perked up his eyebrows even more. “You did?”

“I did.” Again, Oliver nodded slowly. “Who would have thought that I had to be reminded of the adventures of being single?”

“Well, I thought so,” Tommy replied with an amused grin, “which is why I told you to get laid as I guess you did considering that look on your face.”

Oliver chuckled, not answering to that. Maybe tomorrow or something he would tell his friend about what had happened to him just now, but today he would keep it for himself. He didn’t want to share even the memory of the blonde with his friend yet.

“You know, I think it’s time that I throw myself headfirst into the whole single-life again.”

Tommy grinned. “Eight days after the breakup, I did not expect anything else from you.”

Oliver walked past his friend and out of the office. He only turned his head back once more to say, “As your friend and your former partner, I think I should tell you not to keep this door unlocked.”

Tommy sighed. “I know I had forgotten something.”

While Oliver went back to the bar, he looked around to check if his mysterious blonde was still there. He wouldn’t talk to her since what they had had was over, but he wouldn’t mind watching her move for a little longer. If she was still there, he didn’t find her, though. Hence, he strolled to the bar.

“Scotch, neat,” he ordered.

With the drink in his hand, he turned around on his chair to look at the people who had come here to Verdant today to party. They were drinking and dancing. Some of them were singing or chatting with friends. A few couples were holding each other close while dancing. A few were even kissing, and Oliver could see at least two couples that he was sure were going to use the toilets or some other dark corner to live out the sexual tension.

The longer Oliver looked around, the surer he got that there was nobody here who was even half as interesting as that beautiful, mysterious blonde had been. He had never met someone like her, someone who had come to his life unexpectedly and turned some things upside down like a whirlwind before disappearing just as quickly and unexpectedly as she had come to his life. That only left him with one question, though. Who was she and what had driven her to him tonight?


	2. Step 2: Come clean

“Aren’t abductions indictable?”

“This is no abduction.” Lyla shot Felicity a brief look back over her shoulder before she directed the car into the empty parking lot and switched off the engine with a sigh. “This is a rescue mission.”

When Felicity realized that there was a run in the tights she had tried to wedge herself into for the past fifteen minutes, she groaned. Figuring that she would just have to relinquish wearing any tights tonight, she took them off and threw them back over her shoulder and into the trunk carelessly. She searched for her high heels for a moment before she put them back on.

“I don’t need a rescue mission.”

“Oh, if Sara was old enough to be into Disney yet, she would have suggested adding Bernhard and Bianca to the rescue team.”

Felicity cocked her head. “I didn’t know you were a Disney movie enthusiast.”

“I’m not,” Lyla admitted with a sigh, “but Johnny’s nephew Andy spent the weekend with us, and he loves those movies right now. We watched at least a dozen of them. Anyway, that movie stuck.”

“It’s not fair to use Disney movies against me,” Felicity said with a sigh, “or my sweet, little goddaughter.”

“Your sweet, little goddaughter that you haven’t seen in almost two weeks.”

Felicity puckered her lips. Lyla was right. She hadn’t seen Sara in almost three weeks which probably wasn’t uncommon for a lot of godmothers and their godchildren. It was unusual for Felicity, though. She loved to spend time with Sara. In the last eleven months since her birth, she hadn’t let a single week go by without visiting her goddaughter at least once.

When Felicity didn’t reply, Lyla sighed. She turned around in her driver’s seat to look at her friend with gentle eyes.

“You know how much I support your career. As your friend and a woman that believes in female power, I couldn’t be happier about your success with Smoak Technologies.”

“But?” Felicity asked, knowing there was a but coming.

“But,” Lyla continued indeed, “you have been working too much lately. Since things between you and Ray ended, you have been snowing yourself in with work. You gotta forget about that guy for a night, so I prepared this rescue mission to distract you for the next hours.”

Felicity smiled. She knew Lyla meant well. They had known each other for so long and had gone through so many things together. Lyla had supported Felicity when she had trouble with building up her own company. Felicity had supported Lyla when she had felt like she was going crazy because of her pregnancy. Suffice to say, Lyla knew Felicity better than anyone else.

“You are probably right,” Felicity replied with a sigh though those words taste like pure vinegar in her mouth.

“Of course I am right.” Lyla smiled triumphantly before she sighed too. “I just hope we can actually make good use of the night. You know, I could use a night off too. Sara is teething again. She’s been terribly whiney all week. It got better these last few nights, but now she’s actually running a little bit of a fever, and you know how Sara is when she is sick.”

“Picky.”

Felicity nodded, knowing exactly what Lyla meant. Sara was a little sweetheart, an easy baby to take care of most of the time. When she was sick or on her way to get there, Sara could be quite picky, though. A lot of times, she wanted her mommy and only her mommy when she was sick.

“Maybe I should have stayed home with her,” Lyla said, looking at her phone nervously. “I hate not to be there when Sara is sick, and I know-“

“Hey.” Felicity climbed onto the passenger seat and grabbed Lyla’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “John can handle Sara, and you’ve got your phone here in case anything happens. You can’t stay at home every night. It’s okay to have some fun.”

Lyla leaned her head back against the headrest and looked at Felicity with puckered lips. When Felicity just perked up her eyebrows, Lyla chuckled and squeezed her hand like Felicity had done it before.

“You will see things entirely differently once you have your own kids.”

Felicity chuckled. “It’s a long way until I am there if I ever will be.”

“Maybe one day,” Lyla just replied. “Anyway, we are going to have fun tonight.”

Felicity nodded in agreement. Lyla was right. She really had worked a lot, and it was time to spend a night away from all the work and enjoying life a little. A night out with Lyla seemed to be the right idea and-

Her thoughts came to a sudden stop when Felicity realized where they were. She had leaned forward to look out of the windshield and check where exactly Lyla had taken her to. She had had a lot of suspicions, but she hadn’t thought her friend would take her to Verdant of all the locations in Starling City.

Verdant was _the_ address in the city right now. Everyone who wanted a really great party night went to Verdant. They hired amazing DJs and served great drinks, a nice combination offered for a reasonable prize. Yet, it wasn’t really a place Felicity saw Lyla or herself in.

Admittedly, Felicity had gone to Verdant once. Three weeks ago, when things between her and Ray had fallen apart once and for all, she had come here. It had only been that one time, and Felicity had promised herself never to go back there, though.

“I know, usually, this isn’t our kind of location,” Lyla said. “I probably wouldn’t have suggested the club, either. Johnny’s client built up the club with his friend. He had to give it up now because of issues with his family. I don’t know the whole story. Johnny doesn’t like to talk about it. I’d say it’s confidentiality, but I think they are just friends, and that is why Johnny doesn’t want to talk about.”

Felicity just nodded, still trying to process where they were. These past three weeks, she had thought about Verdant a lot. After what had happened with Ray that night, she had been out of herself. She wasn’t considering herself to be a femme fatale or even just sexually proactive. Those last years, she had always been more focused on her company than anything else. If there had been offers to have sex, it had been fine. If there hadn’t been any, she hadn’t exactly minded it either.

That one night three weeks ago, she had been so pissed about what had happened with Ray, so angry and other things she hadn’t been able to say, everything had changed. Her feeling for herself had changed. She had felt like she needed to get rid of some tension, and Verdant had seemed to be a good place for that. Hence, she had gone there. The plan had been to just get a little drunk and dance and just… let loose for a night.

Then she had seen this hot guy at the bar. The moment she had seen him, she had known that she wanted more than just letting loose for a night, or she had wanted to let loose in more than just one way at least. After all those years of focusing on her career and putting everything else in second place, she had suddenly realized how much she missed good sex and a great orgasm. She had missed it more than a relationship with someone to lean on to be honest.

Felicity didn’t know what that said about her, but she knew she wasn’t embarrassed about her choice. She was surprised for sure. Before that stranger, Felicity had only had sex with two other men and she had been together with both of them. Having sex with a stranger was usually not her thing. That one night three weeks ago, it had been different, though. She had had sex with a man she barely knew, and she had enjoyed it. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had enjoyed sex that much or the last time she had felt that attractive. A stranger, who had had no idea who she was, had thought she was attractive and had enjoyed her initiative to have sex with her. It had been thrilling and satisfying in so many ways.

Because of how little she had felt like that woman who had just had sex with a stranger in a club, she hadn’t told anyone about her little adventure. She had kept it for herself. Hence, Lyla couldn’t have known that Felicity had sworn herself never to come back to Verdant again.

Biting down on her bottom lip, she looked at the illuminated letters at the entrance of the club. She had been so out of herself, she hadn’t even paid attention to any security cameras. She had kissed that guy and planned on taking him to the ladies’ room. He had just changed their direction and pushed her into that room. Only when he had searched for condoms, she had realized where they had been. Her usual self would have probably stopped the whole thing. Whoever she had been that night had only been turned on by how he had just pushed her into that room without knowing if they were or weren’t allowed to be there.

Looking back now, she was actually a little bit worried about the sex they had had in that office. She was the CEO and owner of a quite successful company. If her partners learned that she had broken into an office to have sex with a man she didn’t even know, their work relationships would change forever. The world just wasn’t ready for a CEO who made the best of her time, and, if necessary, broke into a private office to have some satisfying sex.

“If it’s his client goodbye party, why didn’t John go?”

“He thinks we need it more.”

Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “He might be right.”

“He is, but don’t tell him I said that.” Lyla chuckled and nodded to the entrance. “Come on, let’s go.”

Ten minutes later, Lyla and Felicity were already in the club. Thanks to Lyla’s connections, they didn’t even have to stand in the line. They were just let in directly. While Lyla was getting them some drinks, Felicity stood close to the dance floor and threw nervous glances towards the bar. Luckily, the handsome stranger didn’t seem to be here. It allowed her to release a breath of relief and actually feel a lot more comfortable about being here again.

When Lyla returned with the drinks, they clinked their glasses and drank to a fun evening. Not hesitating for long, they joined the crowd that was already dancing. Felicity hadn’t been here long enough the first time to get an impression on the music. If the first five songs they danced to was any indication, the music was really good, though. Felicity didn’t remember when she had been to a club that played music she could actually dance to for more than three minutes.

Felicity had known it before, but it just hit her once more how right Lyla had been. She really had needed this night off. Getting lost in her work was satisfying but using it to distract herself from everything else had also pulled at her energy. Her life had to be more than her company, even though it would forever and always be the most important part of her life. Felicity couldn’t see that changing anytime soon.

Since she and Ray had ended things, there had just been one night that she had really been able to forget about her anger and disappointment, though. That had actually been the night she had spent here at Verdant and none of the nights she had spent in her office. Hence, she shouldn’t be surprised that a party with Lyla was helping to distract her a thousand times more than her work had.

Ray had only been one reason for the lot of work lately, though. She was actually planning a new project that could really bring her company forwards. It was a lot of work, but it was a step in the right direction. She wanted Smoak Technologies to expand to a worldwide company. That project would definitely allow her to build a European subsidiary.

Felicity and Lyla had just left the dance floor to catch their breaths when Lyla thrust her glass into her friend’s hand.

“Sorry,” Lyla hurried to say before Felicity could ask if everything was alright. “I think my phone is ringing.”

Lyla pulled her phone out of the neckline of her dress and took the call, holding the other ear closed, so she could hear whoever was talking. Felicity took a sip of her cocktail, watching Lyla. She looked worried though it was also possible that she was just really focused on trying to understand what the caller told her.

“No,” Lyla said eventually. “No, it’s fine. I’ll come home. See you later.”

When Lyla ended the phone call and switched off her phone with a sigh, Felicity perked up her eyebrows. “Something wrong with Sara?”

Lyla nodded. She put her hand to Felicity’s elbow to pull her closer. Leaning closer to Felicity she answered, “Sara is running a little bit of a fever now, so I think it’s better I go home. I’m sorry the evening is cut short.”

“Hey, Sara is more important than our ladies’ night. Of course you have to go.”

“Do you want me to take you home?” Lyla asked.

“No, I am going to drink the rest of our cocktails and call a cab.” Felicity hugged her friend. “Take care of my little goddaughter. We will just delay our ladies’ night to later.”

“Are you sure?”

Felicity pulled out of the hug and nodded, waving with the glasses. They had just gotten new once at the bar, and she saw no reason why the drinks should end up in the sink, especially given the amazing taste. She had never had better cocktails which meant a lot coming from Felicity as she had grown up in Vegas.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Lyla promised. She pulled Felicity into another short hug and kissed her cheek. “Bye.”

“Bye.”

Felicity watched Lyla leave. Only when she lost sight of her friend in the crowd, she went back to the dance floor. As long as she was still here, she could as well dance a little more. She doubted that a night on her own would be as distracting from the disappointments and challenges in her life as spending a club night with her friend, but it was better than sitting in a lonely corner of a club with two cocktails. That would only get her to brood.

Unfortunately, all dancing and drinking didn’t help. Without Lyla, who always seemed to sense when Felicity’s thoughts threatened to drift off, it wasn’t long until her head was back to recalling the memories of the break-up and the latest estimating of the project. Since neither of it made her feel particularly good, especially with the alcohol that was running through her body, Felicity quickly downed the last of her cocktail and decided to call it a night.

Careful not to bump into anyone, she pushed herself through the crowd of partying people to the bar. She put the two empty glasses on the counter and shot the barkeeper a brief smile when he looked at her. He looked good, very good actually. With his dark hair and charming smile, he reminded her a little bit too much of Ray, though. Besides, Felicity doubted that she would manage to bring up the courage to initiate sex with a stranger once more and, even if she tried, maybe trying to seduce the barkeeper during a busy hour in a club was a hopeless endeavor anyway.

With a sigh, Felicity turned to leave. It was time to go home. Her feet were actually hurting from her shoes, and she was tired. She needed her bed and some good hours of sleep to-

As soon as Felicity had turned around to head to the exit, her thoughts and body came to a sudden stop. At the other end of the bar, only a couple of feet away, the hot guy from three weeks ago was standing. He looked just as hot as he had when she had first seen him. He was wearing jeans and a blue plaid shirt that emphasized his muscular body. He had looked tired and a little bit lost three weeks ago. Now, he looked angry.

Unable to look away, Felicity watched the scene between him and the tall brunette he was talking to. While he looked angry with the deep frown on his forehead and the strict line his lips were formed to, the brunette just looked annoyed. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest, looking at the floor with puckered lips. She almost reminded Felicity a little bit of pouting child.

When the brunette suddenly looked up, her eyes meeting Felicity’s as if she had known exactly that she was standing there and staring at her, Felicity quickly looked away. She felt heat rising to her cheeks. She felt caught like she had disturbed them in an intimate moment.

Biting down on her bottom lip, she started her way to the exit. It really was time to leave, now even more than before. She didn’t want the hot guy to see her and recognize her from their little encounter. She didn’t want the brunette to claw out her eyes, either. For some reason, Felicity had the weird expression that the brunette wouldn’t only be very experienced at clawing someone’s eyes out. She seemed kind of tempted to claw out Felicity’s eyes, too.

On her way to the exit, Felicity wondered if he had lied. She had asked him if he was single because she hadn’t wanted to be the reason a relationship fell apart. If he had lied and was in an argument with his girlfriend now, he might deserve the stress, though. Cheating on someone who-

When a hand took hold of her arm and turned her around, Felicity gasped in surprise. She was already trying to recall one of the moves she had learned in the self-defense class her mother had sent her to when she bumped right into the person who had held her back. She looked at the broad chest opposite of her for a brief moment before she lifted her gaze. Surprise spread inside of her when she realized it was the hot guy from three weeks ago.

He smelled just as great as he had that night. His skin had a masculine scent that even the stench of sweat, alcohol and smoke that filled the air in the club couldn’t hide. It was something to get addicted to, just like his taste. Felicity remembered the taste of his lips. He had tasted so great. There was nothing about his body that hadn’t attracted Felicity in the short time she had spent with him.

Being pressed to his body now, it all came back with a force Felicity hadn’t thought was possible. His body had felt so good, pressed against her, just like it did now. She could feel the defined muscles of chest against her stomach. It reminded her of how easily he had moved with her, answering to the rocking movements of her hips with thrusts of his own. He had filled her completely, stretching her walls and hitting just the right spots inside of her to drive her to pleasures she had never felt before.

Felicity felt her memory affecting her. Goosebumps spread on her skin, and her core started prickling. Clearing her throat, Felicity took a step back to get some distance between their bodies. She was chuckling nervously, about to say something, but the way he looked at her stopped her from doing so. The expression in his eyes was intense, almost like he tried to look right into her soul. It took a lot from Felicity to resist the urge of looking away.

Eventually, Felicity looked away after all. She turned her gaze to his hand that was still on her upper arm. His fingers were gentle, just like it had been three weeks ago. Back then, he had left small bruises on her body where his fingers had tightened around her hips. They hadn’t hurt at any time – not during and not after their little encounter – but they had been a nice reminder of their short time together.

When he let go of her arm and put his hand to her elbow instead, Felicity looked at him. He looked at her for a brief moment before he leaned in. For the break of a second, Felicity thought he would kiss her. Instead, his cheek leaned against hers, and his lips touched her ear.

“Are you in for a repetition?”

His voice sounded hoarser than three weeks ago, and it only added to his attractiveness. He pulled back enough to look at her, still keeping his hand to her elbow. Her breath got caught in her throat for a moment as her thoughts were spinning around finding an answer.

“Yes.”

The syllable escaped her before she could think about it for too long. She wanted to feel that desired again. She wanted to think about herself and only herself for just a few minutes. She wanted to feel him inside of her and use the thrill of the situation to make herself feel good. She wanted the pleasure of her orgasm make her forget everything for just a moment. It would also give her a nice, little memory to think of in the next three weeks until she had found a different way from distracting herself than using this really hot man for her own needs.

The blush on her cheeks deepened at her thoughts, and she was already about to start babbling and say something. She wasn’t even sure what she would say. Her mouth usually worked more quickly than her brain which had gotten her in quite some embarrassing situations.

Luckily, he seemed to be in no mood to talk, though. Before she could say anything, his hands were already cupping her cheeks. His lips captured hers in a hungry kiss. His tongue stroked into her mouth, and Felicity moaned into the kiss. Her body urged closer to him, longing to feel his hard muscle pressed against her soft curves. It felt just as amazing as she remembered.

Without saying a word or just shooting her another look, he took her hand and started pulling her through the crowd. Felicity did her best to follow. Even with her high heels on, he was still almost an entire head taller than her. She guessed she could trust him to know where they were going because all Felicity could see was his back. It was like the people huddling together even more now.

Just when Felicity started suspecting where he was taking her, he already opened the door to the very same office they had used three weeks ago already. When he suddenly stopped and caused Felicity to almost bump into his back in consequence, Felicity frowned. She leaned to the side, so she could look past the hot guy’s arm. She bit down on her tongue to suppress a nervous babble or any other sound that could possibly fall from her lips.

The handsome barkeeper from before was sitting behind the desk, making a call. He had his feet placed on the top of the desk and was looking at them with perked up eyebrows. Felicity leaned back, hiding behind the hot guy quickly.

Puckering her lips, Felicity figured she should have asked for a name after all. _The handsome barkeeper_ and _the hot guy_ were not exactly good names for the people around her.

Before Felicity could delve into that thought for too long, the hot guy closed the door and walked towards the back of the club. He tugged at her hand to make follow, and Felicity did. His fingers were wrapped around her hand tightly, trying not to lose her on their way through the crowd. It was kind of comforting, especially given the weird feeling of just following him blindly. Had he felt the same way three weeks ago?

When he pulled her more and more away from the busy part of the club and so far to the back that nobody was there and even the music was just audible in the beat, Felicity wondered if he would just pin her to the wall and take her right here. Her heart jumped up and down in her chest nervously. She didn’t really consider herself to be interested in public sex. Otherwise, until three weeks ago, she hadn’t considered herself to be especially interested in sex with a stranger either, so who knew?

Felicity could barely hide her relief when they stopped in front of a door, though. Maybe public sex like that would have been a little too much for her after all. With curiosity, Felicity watched the guy hitting in the code to open the door. She guessed they hadn’t entered any private rooms without permission then. He had to be working here if he knew the code. She just wasn’t sure how long he would work here if his bosses knew what he was using these rooms too. Of course Felicity could wonder how many women he had used those rooms with, but she didn’t care.

Soon, Felicity’s thoughts were focused back at the situation at hand. The hot guy tugged at her hand, making her bump into his chest. They were standing of the darkness behind the door, and even the little light that had come from the corridor outside was replaced by darkness. It added to the thrill of the moment. His arms wrapped around her tightly, and his lips covered hers. The kiss was passionate and intoxicating, just as strong and attracting as it had been the first time around. Their lips worked in perfect harmony, their tongues dancing together like they had kissed a million times before. Kissing a stranger was one thing, kissing a stranger in the dark an entirely different one.

A thousand philosophic words ran through her mind. They all came to a sudden stop when he bent down and put his hands to the back of her knees to lift her off the floor and against him. Felicity let her purse drop to the floor carelessly and held onto his shoulders. She wrapped her legs around his hips and lost no time, rubbing herself against him.

They both groaned in pleasure as the zipper of his jeans created just the right friction to stimulate her core and her clit and she could feel his cock hardening already. When she pulled at his hair lightly, angling his head back to have better access to his lips, he moaned once more. The sound vibrated through his chest and was echoed in hers. With a quick movement, he turned them around and pressed Felicity against a wall. His hands moved to her butt as he used the new position to rub himself against her in time with her movements.

“Oh god,” Felicity moaned out.

Her head fell back, leaning against the wall. He kissed a path down over her jaw to her neck. As soon as he found her pulse point, he opened his lips against it and started sucking lightly. His hips never stopped moving against hers.

When his teeth scratched over her sensitive skin lightly, Felicity released a sound that almost sounded like a growl. She tugged at the short hair at the back of his head to angle his head back. She stroked her tongue into his mouth then and sighed at the wonderful taste.

He carried her down some stairs, at least Felicity assumed he did from the bumps in his steps. She opened her eyes, trying to see anything, but she had never been particularly good at seeing in the darkness. Hence, she couldn’t see anything now. All she could trust on was what she was hearing and feeling, and both made her feel really good right now.

Only after a few steps it seemed, he sat her down on a hard surface. His hands grabbed her hips, holding onto them tightly. His hips continued thrusting against hers just in the right way, and his tongue stroked in and out of her mouth in rhythm with his thrusts.

Felicity moved closer to the edge of the surface, so she could put her toes on the floor and move against him better. Her hands moved down from the back of his head over his neck to his shoulders and down his chest. She could feel the defined muscles of his upper body, and once more she was very happy that he was this well-trained. His precise movements prove that he knew how to put them to good use.

When his hands pushed under her butt, angling her hips to have better access to her core, Felicity moaned. There was no doubted that he wanted to move things along. Felicity didn’t mind. Three weeks ago, it couldn’t have gone too fast for her, and now it seemed to be his turn. She could already feel that her panties were damp and her body longed for more.

Happily giving into his wishes, Felicity moved her fingers to the waistband of his jeans. With quick movements, she unfastened his belt and unbuttoned his pants. While he started working on pushing up the hem of her dress, Felicity realized once more how much she loved wearing dresses. They didn’t only look good on her body, they were also so wonderfully practical for having a quickie.

Felicity reached into his boxer briefs and took hold of his cock. He was hard in her hand but covered with so soft skin. She moved her hand along the long shaft, swirling her thumb over the tip. He groaned in response, breaking the kiss and resting his forehead against hers instead. His breathing was erratic as his hips started thrusting into her hand, getting the most of the friction.

Felicity remembered very well how he had pleasured her the last time, using his fingers. It had felt so good. His long fingers with the calloused tips inside of her. They had rubbed against the sensitive walls of her core as well as her clit, and Felicity had been turned on beyond return in no time.

He seemed to be affected by the touch of her fingers, too. As she continued to squeeze him in her hand, his breathing got more and more erratic. Eventually, he gulped and pushed her hand away. His lips covered hers in another hungry kiss that made Felicity stroke her hands into his short hair and grab a fistful of it to anchor herself to him.

Soon, they broke the kiss. While Felicity was trying to catch her breath, she heard him patting the pockets of his pants. Only seconds later, he seemed to be successful. Felicity could only see the outlines of his body, but she thought she saw him pulling something out of the pockets of his jeans. While he opened the foil package and rolled the latex onto his hard member, Felicity got rid of her panties and put them on the surface next to her.

Only a moment later, she was sitting back on the edge of the surface. He stepped between her spread legs. His cock moved back and forth between her slick walls for a few times. Heat spread all over Felicity’s body. The need to feel him back inside of her and get lost in another orgasm as she had three weeks ago took over.

He thrust into her with one hard movement, burying himself in her to the hilt. Felicity gasped for breath, holding onto his shoulders. He was filling her completely, stretching her inner walls just the right way. Not taking up a rhythm of thrusting yet, he took hold of her hips and moved closer to her. His face leaned closer. His nose nuzzled hers for a moment, his lips hovering right next to hers. She could feel his breath on her chin. It made goosebumps spread from her neck all the way down her back.

When his lips were back on hers, his hips started moving in snapping movements. He pounded into her relentlessly. Each of his quick thrusts caused his cock to rub against the most sensitive of her parts. As their breathing got to erratic to focus on kissing without letting it get completely sloppy, they broke apart. Their faces stayed close, though.

Quickies had barely ever worked for Felicity. She had always need a lot of time to get turned on and even more to reach the point where she was actually turned on enough to fall over the edge. Most men just didn’t have the finesse to find out what worked the best for her or the patience to find this out. He seemed to know exactly how to work her up quickly. He didn’t need much. His firm thrusts, reaching deep into her, was all she really needed.

Besides, Felicity hadn’t known how much she had wanted to be taken just like this. She always enjoyed being on top because it increased her chances of an orgasm. Right now, he just enjoyed the way he took her for his own pleasure, though. She didn’t only like it for the pleasure it tickled in her. It was also turning her on on a different level. She had taken him like that, using her for her own pleasure, three weeks ago. Having the roles reversed was interesting.

And, god, it felt so good. It wasn’t long before he stopped pulling outside and just seemed to urge closer. His pubic bone rubbed against her clit just the right way. Felicity held onto his shoulders and lifted her legs a little more, opening herself up to his thrusts even more by wrapping her legs around his hips. The little change of position was just what they both needed. With two more thrusts, they both came at the same time. His cock jerked inside of her as her inner walls fluttered around him. They both moaned, still holding onto each other.

Felicity’s heart was racing in her chest and beating against her ribs with so much force, she could barely breathe. The blood was rushing in her ears, keeping out everything else that might be happening in the room. She only focused on her body and her thoughts, one of them wondering how it was possible that a total stranger not only made her come but made her come at the same time he came. In all those years of being sexually active, even if she hadn’t had a lot of partners, this had never happened. How did a stranger manage what neither of her boyfriends had done?

When his hands moved from her butt over her back, Felicity sighed contently. Tugging at the front of his shirt, she pulled him in until their lips met in a gentle yet somewhat hungry kiss. If Felicity wasn’t feeling the effects of the alcohol as much as she did already and the situation was different, she might have suggested a second go.

Instead, she put her hands to his chest and pushed him away carefully. He stepped back, sliding out of her. Felicity had to bite back a grunt at the loss of contact.

“Wait here for a moment.”

His hoarse whisper in the dark made a shiver run all they way down her back. She could almost hear the aftermath of his pleasure in her voice. It only made him sound sexier.

“Okay,” she whispered.

He squeezed her thigh before he stepped away. She could hear his steps in the darkness, hear them moving further and further away from her. Biting down on her bottom lip, Felicity realized that, if he wanted to kill her, this was probably the perfect place. Nobody would hear her screaming here, and she wouldn’t see any attack coming though it wouldn’t change much if she did. With his broad chest and defined muscles, she was defenseless against him anyway.

When the light was suddenly switched on, Felicity lifted her hands in front of her face. The light was stinging in her eyes and causing a slight headache. She groaned in pain. She was probably going to have a massive hangover tomorrow. At least that meant she would get a fully day of rest because, whenever she had a hangover, she just spent time on the couch and caught up on some shows she liked to watch.

“Sorry,” he said, coming back closer. “I thought this was easier with the light on.”

Felicity lowered her hands slowly. It took another moment before her eyes got used to bright light. She saw the hot guy standing in front of her, fully dressed and with a box of paper towels and a small waste bin. Felicity grabbed some of the paper towels and got up onto her feet, wiping the insides of her thighs and trashing them after that.

As she did so, she took a look around. She guessed they were in some stockroom. Beverage crates were standing around and boxes with other stuff. She didn’t know if it was an update or downgrade to the office. All she knew was that it was the best – and only admittedly – sex she had ever had in a stockroom.

She grabbed her panties and briefly considering putting them on. Instead, she decided to push them to her purse once she would find it again and just tugged down the hem of her dress.

“Am I allowed to keep these as a souvenir?”

At his words, Felicity turned around looked at him. When she saw him nodding towards her panties and wiggling with his eyebrows, she cocked her head. They looked at each other like that for a moment before they both started chuckling. Felicity slapped his chest lightly.

“Wacko.”

“Wacko?” he answered, still chuckling. “Really?”

“It’s what I am going to call you from now on.” Felicity grinned until the meaning of her words caught up with her. “And when I say _now_ , I mean the next two minutes because we will never see each other again after that.”

His grin widened. “You said the same thing the last time.”

“Yeah, and I meant it. Then my friend dragged me here, and you suggested a repetition.” Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “Things escalated from there.”

When he started looking her up and down once more, his eyes darkening, Felicity felt herself blushing. She could almost see in his eyes that he recalled the two times they had had sex. Since everything was different when the light was on, all the confidence she had had faded away. It had been just like this the last time.

“I should go now.”

“Before you accidentally tell me your name?”

Felicity chuckled. “Maybe.”

She shot him an amused look before she headed to the stairs. He followed her when she went upstairs. At the head of the long metal stairs, she grabbed her purse from the floor and quickly pushed her panties inside.

Just when she turned around to him to say goodbye, the door opened. A young guy with brown hair stuck his head inside. As soon as he saw the two of them, he frowned and stepped into the room. His gaze moved from the hot guy, or wacko, to her. He took her in briefly, but he seemed to catch himself quickly and looked back at the hut guy.

“Oliver, Tommy is looking for you.”

He nodded. “I will be at the bar in two minutes.”

The younger guy nodded and shot Felicity another brief look before he left. Felicity puckered her lips and turned around to the hot guy. At the expression on her face, he perked up his eyebrows, and Felicity smiled in response.

“So, I guess this is goodbye, wacko.” Felicity said. Her smile widened when she dipped her head forwards slightly. “Or should I say Oliver?”

Oliver released a chuckle. “It does sound better than _wacko_.”

“I was just getting used to calling you that.”

Chuckling once more, he pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He rolled onto his toes for a moment before he cocked his head at her.

“And am I going to get to know your name now?” he asked. “Just so we are even?”

Felicity grinned in amusement. “It would only be fair, right?”

“Absolutely,” Oliver agreed.

With a low sigh, Felicity put her hand to Oliver’s cheek and stroked her fingertips through his short stubble. It tickled her sensitive skin and almost made Felicity chuckle a little bit. Until just now, she hadn’t even known her fingertips were ticklish. He moved his head up and down slightly, letting his fingertips scratch her even more. She enjoyed the touch for a moment before she sighed once more and slapped his cheek playfully.

“Unfortunately, life is not always fair.”

Oliver seemed to be taken aback by this for a moment. When she pulled away and shrugged her shoulders, he chuckled, though.

“Okay.”

“It was a lot of fun seeing you again, though.”

“It was a lot of fun seeing you again too, mysterious blonde.”

Felicity perked up her eyebrows. “Mysterious blonde?”

“Since I don’t know your name…”

“Mysterious blonde,” Felicity repeated. “I might like that.”

“So, I have to find a worse name to get you to tell me your name.”

“No.” Felicity chuckled. “Because I will go now, and we will never see each other again.”

“Until we do.”

“We won’t,” Felicity said firmly though amusement was audible in her voice.

“This time I mean it.”

She walked to the door and opened it, already stepping outside. Just before the door closed, she looked back once more. A smile spread on her lips when she saw Oliver still looking at her. She let the door fall shut, but she stayed in front of the door instead of heading to the exit immediately. She knew it was best if they never saw each other again because this had been supposed to be a one-time-thing. Was it a bad thing she kind of wished they would see each other again, though?


	3. Step 3: Set the Ground Rules

If life hadn’t proved him wrong about that again and again over the last years, Oliver would probably tell himself that at least now his life really couldn’t get any worse. He had been at that point a little too often lately, though, and every single time it had gotten worse. He knew better than to challenge life on proving him wrong once more this time.

With a sigh, Oliver downed the rest of his scotch. The golden liquid burnt all the way down his throat into his stomach. Without even the shortest hesitance, Oliver lifted his glass and just waved at the barkeeper to order one more. The barkeeper did shoot him a slightly disapproving look, but he did pour him the drink.

Oliver looked down at the scotch as he swayed the glass slightly. For the night, he had decided to go to Verdant’s biggest competitor. Since Poison had been opened eight months ago, the number of visitors at Verdant had decreased slightly. Oliver was sure that Max Fuller, a former classmate of him and Tommy, had only opened a club here in Starling because he wanted to challenge them. Well, challenge Tommy given that Verdant was his club now.

Anyway, after his week of hell at Queen Consolidated, Oliver just hadn’t had the nerve to go to Verdant and spend his night there. He didn’t want to see Tommy managing everything just fine without him. It would only rub salt into the wound which he knew wasn’t his friend’s attention. Oliver just couldn’t help the feeling.

In the back of his mind, he knew he should be glad that the club would keep going without him. He had put so much work into the club that he shouldn’t want to see it falling apart. He would have liked to have it at least struggle the tiniest bit, so he would have felt needed. Of course, Tommy was very well able to manage everything on his own. They had both managed the club on their own when the other had been on vacation or sick after all.

Oliver took a nip of his scotch. He would have to live with his new life. He had to accept that he was stuck at Queen Consolidated with his dad who did everything to make sure he knew all the things he didn’t know and didn’t understand about working at a big company like that. He had to accept that Tommy was managing things at Verdant on his own perfectly because Verdant had never really needed two managers. He also had to accept that he and Helena were done for good.

Helena, Oliver thought with a sigh and took another nip of his scotch, was another reason why he really hadn’t wanted to go to Verdant tonight. The hours spent at the company had been bad enough. He didn’t want to run into her like he had two weeks ago during his goodbye party. It had been ugly, and Oliver didn’t want to be reminded of it. He wished he hadn’t even remembered.

Now that he had remembered, it only added to his anger and frustration about this day and every day of this week and the rest of his life, though. What was Helena even thinking to go to Verdant for his goodbye party after their break-up?

Verdant had been his club, so she should avoid it. Didn’t people do that when they broke up? They made sure not to run into each other, so they avoided the places where the others could be? Helena had been at Verdant a lot too, but she had been there because it had been his club and-”

With a frustrated groan, Oliver lifted the glass to his lips and downed the liquid in one go. He didn’t even have to call for the bar keepers attention to have another glass poured this time. Oliver considered downing it right away, but he figured it was best to slow down a little. He had only been here for thirty minutes, and it was his fifth glass already.

Fact was that Oliver was in such a bad mood tonight that not even imagining meeting his mysterious blonde would get this evening to become any better. The two times he had met her, his evening had been improved by far. Yet, he doubted that a little adventure with her would be something he would even be up to tonight.

He just didn’t want to do anything tonight. He didn’t want to see or talk to anyone. He didn’t want to go to the gym to get rid of some energy or whatever. He just wanted to wallow in his self-pity, and that was easiest as long as he was alone. It was why he had even rejected John’s invitation to have dinner with him, his wife and their baby girl. He just wasn’t a good company right now.

“Sitting here all alone, Stranger?”

Oliver lifted his gaze to see two women standing next to him. They were both dressed sexy, the redhead in a short dress and the blonde in skinny jeans and a top with a deep V-neckline. The expression in their eyes as well as the way they stood there only seemed to confirm the suspicion Oliver had gotten from the redhead’s voice already.

“Not interested,” he simply told them.

“Oh, really?” the blonde asked, leaning closer to him. “We could have some fun, all three of us together.”

Oliver sighed deeply. Some other night, the idea of a threesome might have been tempting. Tonight, it really wasn’t. He quickly downed the rest of his drink before he got up from his chair with another sigh. He grabbed his wallet from the pocket at the back of his pants and dropped enough money on the table to pay at least an entire bottle of the scotch he had just drunken.

“How about you two have some drinks, and I will leave?” he asked. “I am sure that is going to offer all three of us a lot more fun than any of what you have planned out for us could have.”

Apparently, the two ladies hadn’t expected him to turn them down. They looked at each other for a moment, both speechless. Oliver couldn’t bring himself to care. He just pushed through the crowd of people that were urging to the bar to get new drinks and towards the door. It really was time to go home and-”

His thoughts came to a sudden stop when he saw his mysterious blonde sitting at the bar. She had taken the stool at the edge that was the furthest away from the dancefloor. She had her head propped up onto her, keeping her face down, so her blonde hair would probably hide his face if it wasn’t tied up into a high ponytail. Her left hand was holding a glass of white wine, swaying it in circles like Oliver had done with his scotch before, too.

Oliver stopped instead of continuing his way to the door. A small group of five young boys who had seemed to follow the way Oliver had borne himself through the crowd bumped into his back. They complained that he didn’t keep moving, but one angry look seemed to be enough to make them shut up. They quickly pushed past him and tried to walk on without him.

Taking in a deep breath, Oliver considered his options. He could just leave like he had planned on, or he could go and talk to her. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk, but he did have to admit that the few words they had exchanged – as they had mostly been focused on screwing each other’s brain out which hadn’t allowed a lot of talking – had offered him some fun.

To his own surprise, he even had to admit that, even despite his bad mood, he still felt his fingers itching to find out who she was.

In the last two weeks since their last encounter when he had seen her in the crowd after his fight with Helena and they had had sex in the basement of Verdant, he had thought about her a lot. Oliver had had one-night-stands before, but he had never had a two-night-stand with a woman whose name he hadn’t known and who he had only talked a few words with.

It had been thrilling, and even the idea of a repetition seemed thrilling. Yet, taking away the mystery and discovering who this breathtaking woman really was almost seemed even more thrilling.

Oliver rubbed his hands over his face and through his short hair briefly. Starting to approach her, Oliver shook his head about his behavior slightly. Who cared if he looked tired or his hair was tousled from all the times he had torn it today? He didn’t, and his mysterious blonde probably didn’t, either. Oliver was actually sure that he had looked a lot worse the first two times they had met anyway.

He had been getting drunk for a lot longer those times after all.

While he approached her, Oliver never took his eyes off his mysterious blonde. As he was getting close, he could see her better. She looked exhausted, maybe even sad. He couldn’t tell with the little light in the club.

He was almost standing beside her already when she seemed to sense that she was being watched. Her muscles were tightening for a moment before she lifted her head all of a sudden and turned it. Her eyes met his as if she had just known where exactly he was. If Oliver wasn’t completely mistaken, he could see the glimpse of a smile forming on her lips.

“Oliver.”

Yeah, that was definitely a smirk on her full, red-painted lips. She turned her head, looking at something in front of her. Oliver couldn’t say what it was though he did briefly try following her gaze. She lifted her glass of wine to her lips and took a nip. Puckering his lips, Oliver sat down on the stool next to her.

“You know my name, but I still don’t know yours,” he stated eventually. “It’s a little unfair.”

“Oh, you think?”

“Kind of yes,” Oliver replied, nodding his head slowly. When she didn’t react, he simply shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, fine, I am just going to continue calling you _my mysterious blonde_ then.”

“ _My mysterious blonde_.” She smiled as she repeated the name he had given her. She shrugged her shoulders then. “I named you _the hot guy_.”

“The hot guy.” Oliver grinned. “I might like that.”

“Of course you would.” She rolled her eyes though amusement was sparkling in them. “I guess it boosts your ego?”

“Something does have to boost my ego if I can’t even get to find out the name of the woman I spent two fabulous nights with.”

“I am not sure I would call it a night,” she said, and Oliver believed he could see her blush. “It was just two quickies long.”

“Two wonderful quickies,” Oliver corrected and chuckled. “At least leave me that.”

“Fine. Two wonderful quickies.”

Silence spread between the two of them. Oliver couldn’t deny that the few minutes he had talked to the mysterious blonde had actually cheered him up. Apparently, their chemistry wasn’t only applying to their physical connection but also to their spiritual one or however to call it. He had certainly underestimated that connection given that they hadn’t tested it thoroughly yet. Maybe whatever it was about her that made him feel better should be filled into little bottles for him to use in cases of emergency. He would probably get addicted to it.

“If you don’t want to tell me your name,” Oliver said eventually, figuring that he wanted to continue talking to her to keep away the bad mood, “I will just give you one that passes the lips a little easier than _my mysterious blonde_.”

She perked up her eyebrows. “Like what?”

Oliver grinned. “Candy.”

“Yeah, I am not going to have the name of a stripper.”

“Hey, there are a lot of nice girls out there with that name.”

She cocked her head at him. “Oh, really? And you really didn’t meet them in any strip clubs?”

“Certainly not all of them,” Oliver replied after a moment of thinking about it. He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe you just don’t know the right Candies.”

She chuckled. “I know absolutely no Candy, and I swear I am going to beat you up if you ever call me Candy.”

“I think I could take your… 110 pound,” Oliver said after looking her up and down briefly and shrugged his shoulders, “but fine. How about Mandy?”

“Rejected.”

“Cindy?”

She took another nip of her wine before she looked at him and cocked her head. “Do you know any names that do not end on N-D-Y or do you just have a particular preference for them?”

“I’d actually say I have a particular preference for the way you react to them. I’d say you don’t really like them.”

“I don’t.”

“Which is why I will keep suggesting them until you will tell me your name.”

His mysterious blonde – Candy, Mandy, Cindy or whatever – puckered her lips. She looked at him for a moment, probably considering her choices. After a short moment, she sighed.

“Since I really can’t stand to be called Candy, Mandy, Cindy or whatever other name like that you will find, I guess you don’t leave me any choice.”

“Blackmailing is my specialty.”

“I’d rather call it being annoying.”

“Persistent at most.”

They both chuckled. When she extended her hand, Oliver wrapped his fingers around hers. His hand was much bigger than his, swallowing her tinier one almost completely. Her skin also felt so soft against his calloused fingertips. It was the same for every other part of her body. Every spot he had touched so far had felt incredibly soft.

“Felicity.”

Oliver smiled, unable to suppress the thought that that name felt really fitting. Maybe if he had made serious suggestions for her name, he would have named Felicity as a possibility. After all, meeting her in whatever way did make him feel less horrible which he guessed was the analogy of feeling happy instead of okay.

“So, Felicity,” Oliver asked, letting her name roll off his tongue, “are you cheating on Verdant and me?”

“There is nothing to cheat on,” she said.

She looked at him firmly, a fire in her eyes that was just as arousing as intimidating. Oliver wasn’t sure if she had taken his words a little bit too seriously or if he hadn’t put enough emphasis on this being a joke. He knew there was nothing to cheat on because they weren’t a thing. They had had casual sex twice. It didn’t even count as an affair.

Her reaction did make him wonder if she was doing this – going to a club and having sex with strangers – more often, though. He wouldn’t judge her if she did. He was all in for sexual self-determination as long as you were staying safe. They had used condoms, so he didn’t mind if she was having sex with someone else. Maybe there was a little stitch there because he had hoped that it was something they and only they were sharing. It was a stupid thought, though.

Before Oliver could decide if he should apologize, defend or explain what he had meant, Felicity lifted her glass to her lips and downed the rest of her white wine. When she put the glass back down onto the counter, she slumped her shoulders with a sigh.

“I’m sorry,” she said without looking at him. “Unfortunately, I am absolutely not in the right mood today, and I fear that I might even make a terrible company. You should probably go. I am sure you have better ways to spend your evening than getting snapped at by a woman you had two quickies with.”

She propped her head back up onto her hand and moved her forefinger over the rim of her glass. Oliver couldn’t avoid thinking that, under the exhaustion and tiredness, she looked sad. He knew the deep expression in her eyes from the few times he had been able to meet his own eyes in the mirror lately. He guessed that was another thing that connected them with each other.

After only a moment of hesitation, he took the wine glass from her hands and let the single drop that was left drop onto his tongue. He waved the barkeeper to him and ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio as well as another scotch. He pushed the glass of wine in front of Felicity and did his best not to smile to smugly when she looked at him with surprise.

“I know that they only order three different white wines, and this was a dry one, so it must have been a Pinot Grigio,” Oliver explained calmly. He slid his stool a little closer to hers, so they could talk better. Although the music wasn’t as loud as it was at Verdant, it still demanded a lot of focus to hear what the other was saying. He didn’t want to yell at her for the rest of the night. “So, want to tell me about your crappy day?”

Felicity kept her eyes down on the wine glass for a moment before she turned her head to him with another sigh. A single strand of her hair had fallen out from her ponytail, and Oliver was tempted to reach out his hand and tug it back behind her ear. He suppressed that urge, though.

“It’s a lot more than a bad day.” Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “I came here to drink some wine and wallow in my self-pity, but it only makes me feel more miserable.”

Oliver nodded slowly. “Yeah, same for me.”

Felicity smiled softly, and Oliver smiled back at her. It was good to finally meet someone who was miserable, too. He doubted that Felicity’s life could be as miserable as his, but that didn’t matter. As long as she was feeling as miserable as he did, he guessed they were two of a kind.

“Where are your problems?” Oliver asked. “Family? Job? Relationship?”

“Since my father is absent and my mother and I don’t have much contact either, it’s the last two. It’s already more problems than I can handle, so I am glad my almost non-existent family cannot make for a lot of problems,” Felicity replied. She took a huge gulp of her wine, probably washing down the bitter taste those words had left on her tongue. “What about you?”

Oliver scrunched up his nose. “Job and relationship are the acute ones, but family is written all over them. It’s basically where it’s all rooting I guess. A shrink would clearly place the blame for everything that has gone wrong in my life on my parents, or maybe that is just me. Who knows?”

“Never a good starting point if it all links to family.”

“Yeah, who do you tell that to?” Oliver took a nip of his scotch before he bumped his shoulder against hers playfully. “Come on, we are both not in the mood, so we should just vent our spleen to each other. I am a good listener.”

Felicity hesitated, looking him up and down. Oliver could imagine what she was thinking. Their one-night-stand had turned into a two-night-stand or more like their one-time-quickie had turned into a two-time-quickie. Now they were seeing each other a third time which had never been supposed to happen and sharing their problems with each other would make everything between them even more complicated. Sex was easy to define. Everything else was always messy.

“Okay, just let me start,” Oliver said when Felicity didn’t speak. “I had a job that I really loved and that actually made good money, but I had to give it up because my father wanted me to join his company although I have been saying for the past twenty years that I was never going to work there and that he should find someone else to take the job. After one week, I can already say that I hate every single part of the job, so it’s not just being stubborn or rebellious or whatever he accused me of. My dad doesn’t make it any easier for me. It’s like he just wants to rub in that I can never compete with him, not that I would want that in the first place. It’s… maddening.”

With a sigh, Oliver lifted his glass to his lips and took a nip. Even just thinking about his father and the week of hell he had just been through was enough to stir his anger once more. He didn’t understand his dad. He had so much to make up for, so many things to mend. Instead, he was only making everything worse, though. He didn’t understand what was going on in his mind, and he probably never would.

“I had the idea of a really innovative project at work,” Felicity said all of a sudden, bitterness audible in her voice. “It would be a big thing, and do so much good, not just to the company but actually to a lot of people living in the world. It’s… a really big and good thing, but-“

“Let me guess,” Oliver interrupted her. “Your boss doesn’t appreciate your ideas.”

“I am my own boss.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows, nodding slowly. “Impressive.”

Given what he and Tommy had built with Verdant, he knew how much work it was to become your own boss. It wasn’t easy, no matter what area you were working in. He didn’t know where exactly she was working, but he was sure she had put just as much work into it as Tommy and him, more if she didn’t have the privilege of being born rich.

“It would be,” Felicity replied with a sigh, “if it didn’t mean that I have to work so much on so many things that I don’t even have time to figure this project out. I have tried at least a hundred times to get the portfolio ready to present the project to possible partners, but I just feel like I am missing things that will cost me my head later. I thought figuring the project out and plan all the work would be the easy part. Convincing the company that I have in mind for this to work with me and negotiate on a contract that doesn’t just benefit them but both of us should have been the hard part. It’s frustrating and a thousand other things.”

“Sounds complicated.”

“More than complicated.” Felicity sighed. “On top of that, my relationship just fell apart because my boyfriend, who is now my ex-boyfriend, is back with his ex-fiancée, who is now his fiancée again. You know, we have been together for almost a year. In that time, I asked him about her at least a dozen of times, and he always made me feel like I was paranoid and clingy and unnecessarily jealous for bringing her up. I was actually starting to feel the same.

I thought I was seeing ghosts and just unable to trust him. A few weeks ago, he suddenly told me that they wanted to give it another try and were about to get married. They basically decided to get married while we were still together. He’s unbelievable!”

Oliver bit down on his tongue to suppress a chuckle. He knew it wasn’t the reaction he was supposed to have, but there was something amusing about the way she seemed to be angrier about how things had gone down than about the fact that they had gone down at all.

Admittedly, Oliver could probably understand that. The story did sound like it came from a cliché-filled romcom. Hence, it wasn’t a nice way to be dumped. Still, it was amusing that she didn’t even seem to realize that the way the break-up had happened made her angrier than the break-up itself.

Felicity sipped at her wine again, shaking her head. Oliver didn’t say anything. He knew everything Tommy had said to him in the last weeks hadn’t helped him either.

“Was that the evening we first met?”

Shooting him a brief look, Felicity blushed. The red color rose to her cheeks and spread all the way down her neck and the top of her chest. Oliver followed the path the blush took, unable not to feel slightly aroused by it. Only know he realized how deep the neckline of her red dress was.

“It was.” Felicity looked away, smiling almost a little bit shyly. “It was a spontaneous idea. I guess I felt that Ray wasn’t really with me even when we had sex because it didn’t feel right or really good in weeks. That was if we had sex at all because he was always working or in thought.

I guess Anna has been on his mind for a long time already. Who knows how long they were seeing each other again before he told me. Anyway, I just wanted to feel desired, and you did the job pretty well. I mean… it felt really good, and the repetition felt really good too and… yeah.”

Felicity took a few gulps of her wine. Oliver bit down on his tongue, smiling amusedly. Her babbling was still cute.

“So, what about you and that fury?”

Oliver frowned. “Fury? Like the horse?”

Felicity looked at him incredulous for a moment before she patted his hand with a chuckle and shook her head. “I was actually referring to that angry-looking brunette you were talking to two weeks ago before you came to me to devour me. You know, I meant a fury like the Goddess of revenge in Roman mythology.”

“Oh.” Oliver bit down on his tongue. “Yeah, I wasn’t so good with school or anything.”

“You have other qualities,” Felicity promised. When he perked up his eyebrows, she grinned. “You have amazing abs.”

Oliver chuckled, shaking his head slightly. He would have certainly regretted if he had gone home instead of talking to her. He couldn’t remember when he had had this much fun the last time.

“So?” Felicity asked eventually. “What about you and her?”

Oliver sighed. “She was pushing too much. We were still on the beginning of our relationship, but she was already talking about moving in and taking the next step. She always showed me pictures of apartments that were free to rent.”

Felicity rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I hate when people are clingy and pushing too much. Life is short, okay. I just think that if one part of the couple isn’t ready, then the couple isn’t ready and the other shouldn’t push.”

“Exactly. Thank you.” Oliver felt relieved that at least someone was feeling the same way he did. “I mean we’ve only been together for like six years and-“

When Felicity almost spit out her wine and started coughing wildly, Oliver stopped. He gently patted her back, helping her until the cough stopped and she was able to breathe normally again. Her face was all red, and tears were welling in her eyes when she put her hand to chest and turned towards him.

“Six years?” she asked. “You do know that most people wouldn’t define that as the start of a relationship and would certainly consider moving in together a long overdue.”

“I don’t,” Oliver replied, shrugging his shoulders. “I am just not ready.”

Felicity looked at him for a moment, smiling gently. “Who knows, one day you might.”

Oliver just shrugged his shoulders again. He couldn’t say that he was exactly tempted at the idea of moving in with anyone. He loved having some freedom in a relationship. He didn’t want to cheat or anything. He just didn’t want to spend all his time with the same person. He knew he’d only get bored or would start to feel suffocated.

“I don’t mind being in a relationship,” Oliver said eventually, “but I don’t mind being single, either. Admittedly, right now is the worst time to be single though. Because of my job change, I could really use a distraction, and sex is a perfect distraction from all the crap. I feel so miserable that I can’t even get myself to flirt with someone when they are offering though.

Like five minutes ago, I had the chance at a threesome, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk to the girls and do all the flirting as foreplay.”

Oliver bit down on his tongue, suppressing a sigh. He really liked sex. He would even go as far as saying he was kind of good at it. Sex with Helena had always been great. Despite being together for six years, they had managed to keep their sex somewhat experimental. It would have been so much easier if he was still with Helena.

“Well, like I said,” Felicity said with a sigh, “Ray and I didn’t have that much sex anymore anyway, and it didn’t feel right when we did. I love sex, and I wanted to feel desired again which is why I came to Verdant the night Ray and I broke up. It felt good. I’d probably do that more often if, you know, it was more like me or I wasn’t as afraid of accidentally getting into bed with a serial killer.”

“Online dating is out then too, I guess?”

“Dating at all is out.” Felicity shot him a brief look, scrunching up her nose. “I don’t want anything serious. The thing with Ray just proved that I should rather focus on work. Having regular sex would be nice nonetheless. I guess you can’t have it all in life.”

“Yeah.” Oliver sighed. “Besides, girls who have sex usually fall madly in love with me.”

Felicity turned her head to him slowly, perking up an eyebrow. Oliver grinned amusedly and bumped his shoulder against hers.

“Aren’t you feeling the love?”

Felicity chuckled, playfully slapping his shoulders. “In your dreams, Honey, in your dreams.”

“Oh, you already call me pet names.” Oliver sighed dramatically. “I knew you’d fall in love with me.” They both chuckled, enjoying the fun they had together. It was good to finally talk to somebody who was in a rough spot too.

“You know, I read about rebounds in an article recently,” Felicity told him eventually. “It was part of why I came to Verdant that night. Getting right back in the game was the first step to get over a past relationship. Then you just have to come clean to the other person that you are not interested in anything serious and voice your expectations.

At least that are the first two steps, and it does sound really great. I like the idea of rebounding, but I guess it’s always easier on paper than it is in real.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows. “What are the other steps?”

“The third step only applies to rebound relationships.” Felicity waved it off but frowned. “Rebound relationships. It’s a weird concept, don’t you think? Getting into a new relationship that doesn’t mean anything to you to get over a relationship that actually meant something to you. I am not sure something like that works. On the other hand, a rebound relationship is not actually a relationship, right? It’s probably just a different word for a sex affair after a failed relationship. Those can work if two right people meet each other, I guess, but they only make everything complicated if someone suddenly wants more or whatever. I guess not wanting anything serious means you are always screwed… just that you don’t actually get screwed, like in the sexual way.”

Felicity frowned about her own words for a moment like she herself didn’t even understand them. After a moment, she just shook her head and took another nip of her wine.

Oliver watched her, thinking about her words. Having a rebound relationship was the perfect solution for everyone who wanted to have regular sex without being interested in all the other aspects of a relationship. You didn’t have to get to know your partner’s parents or spend time with her friends. You didn’t have to cancel a party with your friends because she had a bad day. There were no obligations, just casual sex when they were feelings like it.

Of course there were risks. Like Felicity had said it herself, the two right people had to find each other. They both really needed to be on the same side and not want another relationship right now. Otherwise, it would just get complicated. With two people who just got out of a relationship and missed sex, the chances of both of them being on the same page were high. They also knew that they had great sex.

“Why don’t we try that?”

Felicity perked up her eyebrows. “Try what?”

“Rebounding.”

“With each other?”

“I wasn’t planning on searching someone else when I already know that we have great sex and probably are on the same page with this.”

“So, you are suggesting that we are using each other as rebounds and start a rebound relationship?”

Oliver nodded. “Yeah. We both just got out of a relationship. We are both busy with other things. We have fantastic sex, but neither of is us interested in anything serious. We would make a perfect match for a rebound relationship. I am not a serial killer which I am sure will get me bonus points.”

Felicity looked him up and down, considering her answer thoroughly. She narrowed her eyes slightly, puckering her lips. Oliver smiled, wanting to reassure her and being unable to not smile because she looked like she was thinking about this really hard.

“Do we really consider a rebound relationship the same thing?”

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “A rebound relationship are two adult people that are not in love with each other, don’t mean to fall in love with each other and don’t pretend to want that. These two adults are having sex with each other and only each other. It’s fun, but it’s strictly casual. There are no obligations or anything. If someone wants to end it, it’s over.”

“Sounds fair.” Felicity nodded slowly. “Sounds really fair.”

“And fun,” Oliver added.

“Probably,” she agreed, looking at him for a moment longer. She reached out her hand, holding it out for him then. “We should shake hands on this.”

“I would have suggested rocking each other’s body on this, but a handshake will do it too,” Oliver said amusedly. He took Felicity’s hand and shook it, smiling at her. “I am glad we could agree on this.”

“Very formally for someone who just wanted to rock my body instead of shaking hands.”

“You were the one who was against that though it would be much more fitting.” Oliver’s grin widened. “Now, what did that article say about the third step that only applies to rebound relationships. It is relevant to us now after all.”

Felicity smiled. “It says that it’s important to agree on rules to make sure what is alright and what isn’t. It allows both people involved to know what their relationship includes and what it doesn’t include. It’s like a guideline.”

Oliver nodded. Without hesitating, he bent forward and grabbed a napkin from the other side of the bar. When he sat back on his stool, Felicity handed him a red pen. He had hoped that Felicity would write, but he guessed it was his turn. It almost felt a little like in school when he had always tried to get around writing, too.

“Okay, I think five rules should do it.”

“Are you kidding?” Felicity asked. “I could name at least twenty spontaneously, and I am sure I could come up with another forty if you give me ten minutes.”

“Maybe we should compromise on ten for now, so five for each of us,” Oliver suggested. “We can still add or cancel rules when we figure it needs more.”

Felicity nodded. “Agreed.”

Smiling, Oliver wrote _10 Rules of Rebounding_ on the head of the napkin. He suppressed a sigh at the capital letters he had used. He couldn’t count how many times he had told his little sister to not use capital letters at the start of every word. Well, he hadn’t used it at the start of every word but still at two of three. He guessed since most of his communication with his sister was going via text messages lately, he had adapted that habit. Maybe it was because he missed her so much.

Oliver pushed that thought away quickly. He had finally found something to distract him and make him feel less miserable. He wouldn’t let himself be pulled back into his misery right now. He wanted to enjoy his evening with Felicity and the perspective of their rebound relationship.

“You start,” Oliver suggested. “Name your first rule.”

“No urging, no obligations,” she said firmly, not needing much time to think about it. “What we have is a casual thing. When we have time and are in the mood, it’s fine. If we aren’t, it’s fine too. There is no such thing as ‘but we have a rebound relationship’ or ‘you owe me’ or whatever.”

Oliver nodded in agreement, noting this first rule down. It was a good thing that she had brought it up because it did allow him to choose five others. This definitely would have been his first rule otherwise. As much as he believed that the mutual respect he hoped Felicity and him both had in this kind of relationship already and would hopefully expand would be enough to make sure that there was no urging and no obligations, it never hurt writing it down if there were rules written down anyway.

“I’d like to add that we do not have dinner together,” Oliver said, already writing that rule down, “so it will never feel like a date.”

“And nobody is allowed to be jealous.”

Oliver nodded his head in agreement, writing the two rules down. “That’s a good one.”

Helena had been terribly jealous. With the brief impression Felicity had gotten of her, she had described Helena just right. She was or at least could turn into a fury easily. Oliver himself wasn’t jealous, and he didn’t mind a little jealousy in a girl, but Helena had exaggerated it a lot of times. With Felicity, given the kind of relationship they were starting, he knew they wouldn’t run into any issues like that. It was a rule now after all.

“No texting other than sexting and arranging hookups,” Oliver announced the next rule, writing it down already. When he looked up to ask her for her next suggestion, he saw that Felicity was already looking at him with cocked head and perked up eyebrows. Oliver frowned. “What?”

“You really think you are irresistible, don’t you?”

Oliver frowned. “What?”

“Well, your rules are no dinner and no texting.” Felicity puckered her lips a little. “You really believe I am going to fall so madly in love with you that I start hitting on you and trick you into a real, non-causal relationship, don’t you?”

“I am charming. I am hot.” Oliver grinned. “I am just trying to make it easier for you. If you fall in love with me, it probably won’t end well. I wouldn’t want to break your heart.”

“Don’t worry. You won’t be able to,” Felicity told him, playfully patting his cheek. “Next rule. No pillow talks.”

“And here I thought we had bounded over our crappy lives.”

“My life is not crappy,” Felicity told him. “Just this year is crappy… or these last weeks have been at least. Never mind. I don’t mind talking to you, but we do not lie in bed in our post-coital bliss and tell each other everything about our problems while we are holdings hands or stroking each other’s naked back comfortingly. We might become friends, and we will definitely share bodies but not heart and soul.”

Oliver hummed, grinning to himself. Maybe Felicity wasn’t going to fall in love with him that easily after all.

“Rule six,” Oliver said, noting the number on the napkin. He got serious again as the next rule was important to him, more important than what he had suggested before. “No involving family. I don’t have to meet your mother. You won’t get to know my family. We won’t even talk about our families unless it comes up. There won’t be any questions about childhood or parents or siblings or whatever. They are all off-limits.”

“That’s an easy rule to implement. I don’t like to talk about my family either.” Felicity sighed and puckered her lips, thinking about her next rule for a moment. “No ugly scene when one wants to end it.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows. “Who is the one afraid someone will develop deeper feelings here now?”

“I am not worried about feelings. I am actually worried you might get a little possessive.”

For the break of a second, Oliver wondered if he should ask if there was a deeper problem about it. The way she said it, so firmly with almost a hint of worry, it felt like she had experience with possessive guys. Maybe he was wrong though. He figured that as a rebound, it was not his task to ask that. As friends, they weren’t that far. Maybe one day he would ask if there was some deeper meaning to it. For now, he would just leave it like that.

“Next rule,” he said. “No favors and no gifts which actually brings me to rule nine. No ‘I love you’s.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Felicity said. “Won’t happen.”

“Of course it won’t because it’s a rule for us now.” Oliver finished writing before he looked at her with perked up eyebrows once more. “Rule ten. Your choice.”

Felicity pulled the napkin closer to herself and read over the rules they had set up so far. She puckered her lips, reading them again.

“Okay, rule ten,” she said eventually, pushing the napkin back in front of him. “No reproaches for being each other’s last priority. I am working a lot, and that will always be my priority. If we can’t see each other for a couple of days or maybe even weeks, then that’s how it is. If you want to end it in that case, it’s fine.”

Oliver nodded. “That makes sense.”

He wrote down her last rule and read through them once more like she had done before. Smiling, he nodded to himself. If they managed to play strict to the rules and keep things between them casual as well as mostly physical and always in the area of a respectful area, this could really work. It could even be a lot better than everything he had ever had with any other woman. It was uncomplicated and benefitted them both if done right. Was there anything better than that?

“This looks really great.”

“It does,” Felicity agreed. “I think this demands a toast.”

Smiling, Oliver grabbed the napkin and put it into the pocket at the inside of his jacket. He turned onto his chair to face her and lifted his glass of scotch.

“To us and our rebound relationship.”

Felicity smiled, lifting her glass of wine, too. “To us and our rebound relationship.”

They clinked glasses. Both of them downed the rest of their drinks. When they put the glasses back down almost at the same time, their gazes met, and they looked at each other with a smile.

“Do you want another drink?” Oliver asked, nodding to her empty glass.

Felicity shot a brief look to her watch before she shook her head. “No. I think it’s about time to call it a night.”

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “Okay.”

He handed her back her pen, and Felicity dropped it into her purse. She pulled her phone out and handed it to him, asking him to save his number. Oliver took her phone, giving his own to her at the same time with the silent request that she’d do the same. Once the numbers were saved, they handed the phones back to their owner.

“So,” Oliver asked, “should we celebrate our arrangement a little more privately and… appropriately?”

Felicity smiled, sliding off her stool and stepping right in front of him. She put her hand to his chest and rubbed it over his heart. Still smiling, she leaned in and brushed her lips against his ear. Goosebumps were spreading on his forearms when he felt her warm breath ghosting over the side of her neck.

“It’s going to be a lot more fun if we build up some anticipation before we see each other again, right?”

Oliver swallowed at how seductive her voice suddenly sounded. He pulled back enough to meet her eyes and smiled at the expression in them. When he just nodded instead of saying anything, she kissed his cheek.

“Goodnight, Oliver,” she whispered.

“Goodnight, Felicity.”

With a last smile at him, she turned around and headed to the exit. Oliver looked after her, letting his eyes drift down her curves. She was beautiful, and he couldn’t wait to uncover her body and enjoy every inch of her body.

He pulled his phone out of the pocket of his jeans and looked at the photo she had taken of herself for the contact. He chuckled when he saw that she had squeezed her eyes shut and was sticking out her tongue at him. He himself had taken a much less spectacular photo.

Chuckling, he pushed his phone back into his pocket and looked up. He tried to find Felicity again in the crowd, but she was nowhere to be seen. Well, he would see her again soon, and he was sure that it would be a lot of fun. At least one thing in his life didn’t completely suck after all he guessed.


	4. Rule 2: No Having Dinner Together

“So, Sara is better again?”

“Yes.” Felicity could hear the relieved smile in her friend’s voice. “Luckily, it wasn’t anything serious anyway. The doctor says, children often develop a fever when they are teething.”

“Actually, there is no causal link between teething and fever. Babies can have a slightly higher body temperature, especially the day the tooth erupts, but teething does not cause fever. Most of the times, teething and infects just coincidence.” Felicity frowned slightly. “Maybe you should switch to a different doctor, if she doesn’t know that.”

“Why? I have you to correct her.” Lyla chuckled amusedly. “You really are the world’s greatest godmother, you know?”

Felicity smiled. She loved Sara, and she always did her best to make sure her little god-daughter had everything that she needed. Since she had known that her best friend was having a baby, she had paid money onto a bank account that was running on Sara’s name. She wanted her goddaughter to go to whatever college she wanted to go to without worrying about financing it or causing her parents to go bankrupt over it. Since Felicity hadn’t had that much time for the little girl lately, she was feeling a little guilty though. Lyla’s assurance that she was still a great godmother offered some relief in that situation.

“How does John like his new job?”

“Well, it’s not really a new job. He is still bodyguard for his usual client. Just his working hours and surroundings changed. Instead of working all through the night in a club, he’s now working the usual office hours in an actual office.” Lyla sighs. “I know that Johnny almost hates it as much as his client. Is it bad that I still feel relieved he got a somewhat normal job now?”

“Of course not.”

Felicity was actually surprised that Lyla had never talked about his job with John before. Being married and raising a child was certainly an exhausting task. Doing it with a husband who spent almost every night in a club, even if it was for work reasons, and who had a quite dangerous job had to make it even harder. Felicity had always thought that John would look for a new job once Sara was born. She guessed he loved his job, and Lyla didn’t want to take it from him though.

“I know I shouldn’t complain about Johnny’s working hours or his safety,” Lyla explained eventually. “Before we got married, he had clients that could have been attacked every day. His current client has a bodyguard because it’s a nice luxury and nothing more. Johnny is much more like a companion and fitness trainer for him. The worst that could have happened was getting into a fight at the club. He was already being safe. I am still glad his job is even calmer right now. That one time a fight at Verdant escalated and Johnny got stabbed, really was enough for me to endure for a lifetime.”

“I understand that,” Felicity assured her friend. “It’s normal to want the people you love to be safe, especially when it’s your husband and father of your child. I am sure John knows that too.”

“Yeah, I hope so.” Lyla sighed. “I asked my mom to take Sara tomorrow, so I can cook us a great dinner, and we get to enjoy some quality time as a couple.”

“That sounds like a good plan. I am sure you two-“

When Felicity’s phone buzzed, she stopped and pulled it closer. A wide smile spread on her lips when she saw who was calling her. Leaning back in her leather chair, she opened the text message she had just received.

**O:** I got a late extended lunch break. Wanna meet me in half an hour?

A week had passed since she and Oliver met at Poison and decided that a rebound relationship was just what they both needed. The next day, Oliver had sent her a photo of their rules and asked if she was still in. Felicity had hesitated for a moment, wondering if it really was a good idea. She had little to lose, so she had texted back that she still was in. Oliver’s only answer had been a winking emoticon.

She hadn’t heard anything more from him since then. Felicity had considered texting him for a few times. Whenever she had decided that she could make a little time to meet with him, she had gotten an idea for her project or something else had gotten in the way though.

Felicity cast a glance at her watch. She only had one appointment left for the day, and it was a dinner appointment. She could very well leave her office now, meet Oliver for some fun and head back to her townhouse to take a hot shower and get ready for the work dinner. After she had spent the entire week sitting behind her desk and working through a dozen of files, maybe having sex was going to ease the tension she felt in every single muscle of her body.

**F:** Send me your address. I’m on my way.

Felicity had barely sent the text when Oliver already texted her that he was excited to see her again. His address followed a moment later. Seeing that it was in the heart of Orchid Bay, Felicity shut down her computer and grabbed her keys, already about to get going when-

“Felicity? Are you still there?”

“Oh, Lyla!” Felicity doubted a lot of people forgot they were actually in the middle of a phone call when they still had their phones in their hands. She was just that special kind of headless sometimes. Maybe it was just the promise of having sex soon that made her forget about it though. “Sorry. I was distracted for a moment.”

“We can talk some other time if it’s bad,” Lyla offered. There was a short pause. “Why are you distracted though? Did you meet someone? Please tell me you met someone.”

For a brief moment, Felicity considered telling Lyla about her rebound relationship and her three encounters with Oliver. She doubted that her friend would encourage her though. Felicity couldn’t say why she believed that. It was actually just a feeling that Lyla would rather see her in a family scenario with a husband and a child like she herself had. It wasn’t like Lyla wanted to force her lifestyle onto Felicity, but Lyla wasn’t actually getting along with the other mothers in her neighborhood, so a friend turning mother would come handy.

Admittedly, what Felicity feared even more was that Lyla told her that a rebound relationship didn’t sound like Felicity at all. She would be right because it hadn’t been something Felicity had ever considered a possibility for herself. She believed in love and in relationships and in romance as long as it didn’t turn into trash. Her life just didn’t offer the chance for any of that right now.

It made her decide not to tell Lyla about this just yet. Maybe once she had gotten used to it herself, she would feel more confident about telling her.

“You know I am not interested in anything serious right now,” Felicity just replied, figuring it was no real lie. “I just remembered that I have this work dinner tonight, and I have to pick up my dress from the cleaners before they close.”

“So back to work?”

“Back to work.” A little lie wouldn’t be that bad she guessed. “I will call you tomorrow, okay?”

“Alright. Don’t work too much.”

“I won’t,” Felicity promised. “Tell John I said hi.”

“Will do.”

With that, the friends hung up and ended the phone call. Felicity grabbed her purse, dropped her phone inside, and headed to the underground parking where her car was parked. She entered the address in the navigation device since she knew the street was in the center of Orchid Bay but wasn’t sure how exactly to get there. As soon as the fastest route was loaded, she followed the directions.

Halfway through the city to the outskirts of Starling City, Felicity’s stomach growled. Putting a hand to it to stop the angry sound, Felicity puckered her lips. She hadn’t had time to each anything today. She always skipped breakfast for a mug of strong coffee, and her lunch break had been cut short because of an important meeting at the Department of Applied Science. If she wasn’t going to have at least a tiny snack, she was probably going to pass out during sex or when she took a shower later. Hence, Felicity made a slight detour to Big Belly Burger before she continued her way to Oliver’s apartment.

She parked at the side of the street in front of the apartment building. With its red brick-frontage and the large muntin windows, it looked really nice. Felicity almost envied him a little bit for this home. Her townhouse was much more unspectacular and looked like half of the houses in the street. On the other hand, at least she had a nice garden all for herself.

Felicity took the elevator to the topmost floor. She went to the door at the end of the hall where he had told her his apartment was. There was no nameplate, but she guessed it was the right door nonetheless. Lifting her hand, she knocked softly.

It wasn’t long until she heard steps and saw a shadow behind the alabaster glass door. It was opened only a moment later, and Oliver leaned into the frame. Felicity bit down on her tongue, biting back a comment about how hot he looked. He was still wearing his suit, at least the pants and the shirt. His tie was hanging around his neck loosely, the topmost buttons of his shirt were opened and the sleeves were rolled up, though. He was barefoot, looking quite relaxed even if somewhat exhausted at the same time.

“I think you forgot about our second rule.”

When Felicity perked up her eyebrows, Oliver nodded towards the BBB bag in her hand. Felicity puckered her lips in a try to look innocent and cocked her head at him.

“If I recall it correctly, the rule was no having dinner together. Since this is your lunch break, it counts as lunch. Besides, it’s not even four-thirty yet. I don’t think that can count as dinner. It’s a midday snack at most if it’s not lunch. Oh, I also have a work dinner today, so that’s one more reason why this just can’t be dinner. Since I am a really great rebound girlfriend, I brought you a burger too. I am trading it for a glass of wine.”

Oliver crossed his arms in front of his chest. Amusement was sparkling in his eyes, and the corners of his lips seemed to twitch. He bit back the smile with quite success though.

“I am not convinced.”

“Really? It’s an extra spicy burger with double cheese,” Felicity said. Oliver kept a straight face though, so Felicity just shrugged her shoulders, taking a tiny step backwards. “I guess my burgers and I will just leave then. We can start our rebound relationship some other time and-“

Before Felicity could take another step backwards, Oliver gently grabbed her wrist and took the BBB bag from her. He pulled her into his apartment and kicked the door shut behind her.

“Don’t let this become a habit.”

“You mean bringing you food?” Felicity chuckled. “Don’t worry. I just thought our first meeting as official rebounds deserved some special treatment.”

Oliver shot a look back over his shoulder, and Felicity smiled at him innocently. It elicited a chuckle from him, and he winked, letting her know that it was all just fun. It was weird how comfortable she felt around it. It was almost like they had been friends for years. She guessed casual sex created some non-romantic intimacy quite quickly.

Felicity dropped her purse to the floor at the door carelessly and kicked her shoes away. Loosening her hair from the high ponytails she always had when she was working, she followed Oliver into the kitchen area, looking around the loft at the same time.

“This loft is amazing.” Felicity stepped in front of the window. “I can almost see the ocean from here.”

“You can see it from the roof terrace, at least on good days.”

Felicity turned back around to him, perking up her eyebrows. “Roof terrace?”

“Yes.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t use it often, but it’s nice.”

“I am officially jealous of you now.”

Oliver chuckled. “If it makes you feel better, the traffic can be quite a nightmare. Until last week, there has been roadworks right around the corner, so the traffic jammed down the entire street at every time of the year. It’s been terrible.”

Felicity puckered her lips, approaching the kitchen island where Oliver was now placing the burgers on the plates and put wine glasses.

“It does, at least a little.”

Oliver smiled and lifted two bottles of wine. “1982 Lafite Rothschild or Pinot Grigio?”

“You pick.”

Felicity sat down on one of the stools, smiling at her burger. It had been forever since she enjoyed a good burger from Big Belly. Today seemed to be the perfect day for it, especially since the work dinner was taking place in one of those restaurants that served meals so tiny that she could barely see it even if she used magnifiers.

When Felicity lifted her gaze, she met Oliver’s eyes. Immediately, she felt a deep blush forming on her cheeks and spreading all the way down her neck and over the top of her chest. Oliver just smiled and came around the kitchen island. He poured both of them a glass of the red wine and sat down on the stool next to her.

“To our first meeting as official rebounds,” Oliver suggested, lifting his glass to the toast. “I am happy you didn’t retract.”

They clinked their glasses and took some nips of the glasses. Felicity sighed at the delicious taste. It had been too long since she had had the time to really enjoy a glass of good wine too.

“Why would I?” Felicity asked when she put her glass down. “I wasn’t less excited about the idea than you were.”

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I am so used to things going wrong in my life that I really wouldn’t have been surprised if this had ended before it had really started too.”

Felicity cocked her head. She hadn’t missed how miserable was about this new job. While some people might say that he should just get over it since most people were miserable with their jobs, Felicity didn’t see it that way. She was lucky that she had been able to make her hobby her job. It increased her motivation and made her life better than her job at a computer store during college had managed to do. While it was still in the computer business, working there hadn’t promoted her abilities, and she had actually been bored most of the time. She knew that having the job you always wanted was a privilege or maybe a luxury that not everyone could afford.

“Still problems with the new job?”

“Problems is definitely an underestimation.” Oliver sighed. “Let’s forget about that and talk about something happier though.”

Felicity took another bite from her burger, a spicy one with double cheese just like the one she had gotten Oliver.

“We should talk about the food,” Felicity suggested, her mouth full of the fluffy bun and soft meat, “because it’s delicious.”

“Big Belly makes the best burgers,” Oliver agreed. “You made a good choice with the burger by the way.”

“I know. This is by far the best burger they serve. I could eat a dozen of them right now.” Felicity smiled at her burger for a moment. When she realized Oliver’s perked up eyebrows, she chuckled. “If you were hoping for a stick, I have to disappoint you. Living from salad and water is just not my taste. I mean I like salad and I like water, but life’s not worth the trouble without pizza, burgers and steaks.”

“A girl after my heart.”

Felicity pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek and cocked her head.

“Who’s the one falling in love here now?”

“Still you.” Oliver chuckled. “You are already bringing me burgers for my lunch break.”

“Oh, honey,” Felicity replied, patting his cheek playfully. “I gotta disappoint you. A five-dollar-burger is nothing compared to a bottle of wine that costs like three to four thousand dollars. Apropos, this wine really is delicious. It’s one of my favorites. I’ve been dying to get my fingers on a case, but it’s almost impossible these days.”

She lifted her glass and breathed in the fruity bouquet of the wine. Then she took another sip.

“I actually stole it.”

Felicity almost spit out the wine. She caught herself soon enough to avoid that. She choked on the wine instead, and it ended in a wild cough. Oliver laughed, obviously amused by her shock, but he gently patted her back until her breathing calmed down.

“I’m sorry,” he said, still chuckling, when Felicity took another nip of the wine on that shock. “I didn’t mean to make you freak out like that. I stole the bottle from my father’s wine cellar. It’s not that bad. He knows I am stealing wine from him every once in a while. I used to steal it from Verdant, so he has to live with me stealing it from him now that he forced me to quit the club.”

He really had known Verdant very well. He had known that office room, and he had known the code to open the door to the basement.

“You were working at Verdant?”

“I was one of the owners actually.” Oliver sighed. “It was my friend’s and my dream come true. After we managed to make our way through college, we decided that building a club together would be cool. We started it, and it was a success. We actually wanted to open a second facility here in Starling and maybe expand to Central City or something. My father forced me to give up the club and work for him though. As the heir of the family I should take the responsibility for his heritage and for the people working for us.”

Felicity frowned slightly. Part of her wanted to ask how his father was able to force him into giving up his job. She wasn’t sure he was ready to share that with her though. Besides, there was another question or rather suspicion distracting her from diving deeper into his problems with his father anyway.

“When we met at Verdant the last time, was that your goodbye party?”

“Yes.” Oliver nodded slowly. “The goodbye party where my best friend from childhood didn’t have time for me because he had to manage the club all alone now, my other best friend had to stay home with his daughter and my ex thought it was okay to come party with her friends.”

While Oliver shook his head, Felicity’s suspicion seemed to get more and more confirmed. Since this could very well have an effect on their rebound relationship, she swallowed down the last bite of her burger and cleared her throat.

“Your other best friend, the one who had to stay home with his daughter, isn’t John Diggle?”

Oliver frowned, wiping his mouth with the paper napkin. “Did you stalk me?”

“No.” Felicity chuckled. “I could have if I wanted though. I can find out everything about a person without even leaving my house.”

It was true. She was an experienced hacker although, of course, nobody could know about that given that it wasn’t exactly legal. Anyway, if mutual respect wasn’t as important to her, she could easily hack his phone and his computer and find out everything about him, starting with his last name that she still didn’t know and stopping with the brand of shaving water he used. She was that good.

“Is that supposed to scare me?”

“No.” Felicity chuckled once more and waved it off. “Actually, I am Lyla’s best friend.”

“Lyla Michaels? John’s wife?”

Felicity nodded, pursing her lips. “Yeah.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

Felicity nodded slowly before she shrugged her shoulders. She guessed their rebound relationship was ending before it had even really started then. It was a shame because, despite the lack of feelings, she had been looking forward to this. Oliver was hot. Their sex was great. They were having fun. In their own, maybe slightly twisted way, Felicity believed that they were good for each other and just what they both needed.

With their shared best friends, it got a little more complicated though. So far, their deal had been that they arranged hookups whenever they felt like it, and they didn’t see each other when they weren’t in the mood. With these new information, Felicity figured there was a decent chance that she and Oliver ran into each other outside of those hookups. While they might be able to deal with that, she guessed neither of them wanted it to get awkward for their friends.

“Does that change anything for you?” Oliver asked, narrowing his eyes at her slightly over the edge of her glass. “Because you look worried.”

Felicity hesitated. “Well, does it change anything for you?”

“Not necessarily.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “We are adults. We are sitting here together without having sex too. Why wouldn’t that work when we are running into each other at our friends’ home too?”

His words did hold some truth. She agreed with the part about them being adults and being able to handle it. She just wasn’t sure what their friends would think if they found out they were casually hooking up with each other.

“What will Lyla and John say?”

“John and I are friends, but I don’t think I care what he says about my sex life.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “Besides, what are they supposed to say? If they ever find out, we will just tell this how it is. We are adults, looking for nothing serious. We know what we are getting into. There is no big deal. If it ends, it ends. It’s not going to be awkward.”

Felicity nodded slowly.

“Sounds like a good plan.”

“So, does that mean that we get to the part with the sex now?”

“Maybe one little detour to the bathroom, so I can brush my teeth first?”

Oliver sighed dramatically. “Here I was thinking I had found someone for to casually hook up with, but you are already planning meals and demanding your own toothbrush. Really, Felicity, what are you thinking?”

“Hey, I am just staying true to our rules.” Felicity put the plates together and put them into the sink. “If you feel scared about a toothbrush, you should have set up a rule for it.”

“You’d just ignore it like the rule about dinner.”

Felicity rolled her eyes with a chuckle. “It wasn’t dinner. It was lunch or a midday snack.”

“Yeah, just try to talk yourself out of it, you little rulebreaker.” He winked before he slid off his stool and nodded towards the stairs that led to the upper area. “Come on, I show you the bathroom.”

He led her upstairs. From the upper area, you had a good overview on the main area downstairs. It looked even wider from down there. With the sparse furnishing, there was basically still enough room to celebrate a fancy ball down there. Felicity could bare walk from the front door to her bedroom without bumping against a handful of furniture. Maybe if she had time to move, she’d do something about it. She just didn’t have the time, and she was sure she’d feel lost in such a spacious home within a week.

Felicity followed Oliver into the bathroom. He opened one of the drawers of the cabinet and gestured to the individually wrapped toothbrushes in there. Deciding that they had been kidding around enough for the day, Felicity swallowed down whatever comment about the toothbrushes she could have come up with. He had said he had been in a faithful relationship until a few weeks, so he might really just have a thing for having ten or fifteen toothbrushes in reserve, or he had used the little time since he was single to make sure there were toothbrushes in case a one-night-stand needed one. Felicity didn’t care enough to waste any more thought on it.

Side by side, they brushed their teeth. Their gazes met in the mirror every once in a while, and Felicity was close to start laughing every time. There was just something weirdly intimate about brushing teeth together.

Once more, she wondered how she and Oliver could be so comfortable around each other despite barely knowing each other? Having sex with someone you barely knew was one thing. Feeling comfortable enough to tease, have lunch and brush teeth together was something completely different. Yet, it seemed to work because they didn’t only have great physical chemistry but kind of potential as friends too. There was probably no better combination for rebounds.

Felicity had just finished rinsing her mouth when Oliver already grabbed hold of her hips and turned her around to him. Before Felicity could do as much as gasp for breath or a let out a little screech at the unexpected turn of her body, his lips were already claiming hers and swallowing whatever sounds could have fallen from them. His tongue stroked against hers, eliciting a deep moan from her.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she lifted her right leg and wrapped it around his hips. She opened herself to Oliver with that, and he wasted no time to thrust his hips against hers. The zipper of his pants was pressing to her center, and she could feel himself hardening against her as he continued thrusting. Felicity gave back as good as she got, matching Oliver’s movements and rubbing herself against him.

It wasn’t long until Oliver put his hand to the back of her knee and lifted her off the floor completely. With both of her legs wrapped around his hips, her dress rode up her thighs until it pooled around her waist. It gave her more freedom to move. Felicity moved against Oliver more firmly.

Oliver started moving, and Felicity stroked her hands down his strong back. She could feel his defined muscles moving beneath her touch. The need to feel his warm and naked skin beneath her fingertips increase. She started unbuttoning his shirt, but she got distracted halfway when her back was pressed to a wall. She gasped for breath and her back arched, so she pressed against Oliver’s warm body and away from the cold tiles. Oliver used the opportunity to pull the dress over her head and drop it to the shower floor.

As his lips started moving down from her jaw to the side of her neck, hot water started steaming down on them. Felicity moaned, leaning back against the shower tiles as they were getting warmer now. She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to suppress making any sound while she was enjoying Oliver’s kisses. He kissed, licked and nibbled down her throat, paying extra attention to her pulse point by sucking at it lightly. All the while, their hips continued rocking together.

When Oliver unclasped her bra and took it off, Felicity used the brief moment he stopped covering her body with kisses to grab some of the strands at the back of his head and pulling it back. She captured his lips in a searing kiss and bit down in his bottom lip. It elicited a deep growl from him that vibrated through his chest. Oliver thrust against her particularly hard, making her head fall back with a gasp for breath.

“Oh god!”

Oliver kissed down her body once more. This time, he didn’t stop at her throat though. Instead, he kissed a path right down to her right breast. His lips hovered over it when he adjusted her position, pushing her further up the wet tiles, so her nipples were on one level with his face.

Felicity was panting already. The anticipation of how his lips would feel wrapped around her nipple with his stubble scratching the sensitive skin around made her body feel like it had been set on fire. She was longing for the touch of his body. Every single inch of her body was prickling with need. Her inner walls were clamping down on emptiness, already aching for more. Her nipples, knowing the pleasure they could expect, hardened to a point that it was almost painful.

A moment later, Oliver’s lips wrapped around her right nipple. His flat tongue pressed against it, rubbing up and down quickly. His short stubble scratched the soft skin of her breast, and the feeling was even more delicious than Felicity could have hoped for. Her hand tightened in Oliver’s hair, keeping him where he was as the pleasure he made her feel filled her entire body. Her hips were rocking against his chest, seeking the friction his hardened cock had made her feel before.

Their clothes and bodies were soaked with water by now. Steam filled the room as the hot water continued streaming down on them. The sound of the streaming water mixed with Felicity’s moans of pleasure.

When Oliver tightened his lips around her nipple and started tugging, Felicity’s fingernails scratched over his scalp, trying to find something to hold onto. Her legs were shaking around his body. Her breathing was erratic, her heartbeat wild. Her breasts had always been sensitive, but nobody had ever made her feel so close to an orgasm just by pleasuring her breasts.

“Oliver, I-“

Oliver’s teeth scratched over the sensitive skin, and it was all Felicity needed to feel the pleasure taking over her body. It filled every single cell of her, making her muscles spasm involuntarily and her skin heating so much that it almost hurt. She moaned loudly, unable and unwilling to hold back on any sounds that told Oliver how good he was doing.

When Felicity came down from her high, her body sinking down the tiles a little until her hips met Oliver’s again, she met his eyes. His pupils were blown wide from pleasure. His lips were slightly opened, quiet pants falling from them. His chest was heaving against hers, capturing her more and more against the wall and his body with every intake of breath. Felicity’s lips were aching to kiss him, but she didn’t give into it. She just continued looking at him.

There was something intense about the way he looked at her. Desire for her was written all over his face. It caused heat to pool in the pit of her stomach. She tugged at his shirt.

“You are overdressed. We gotta do something about that.”

“Yes, we should.”

Their lips met in a heated kiss. Felicity put her feet back onto the floor, unbuckled Oliver’s belt and unbuttoned his pants while he got rid of his shirt. When his pants pooled around his ankles, Felicity wasted no time. She let his boxers follow and took hold of his erection. He was hot and hard in her hand. His skin was soft, and she could feel the thick veins running along his shaft.

“Felicity.”

He choked out her name as his hands rested against the tiles, seeking something to hold onto. When Felicity squeezed him, he groaned. His head came to rest against her shoulder as he tried to gather himself. Felicity licked her lips, exploring what he felt like between her fingers as she stroked up and down his hardness. It felt so good feeling him in her hands, having him at her mercy, and feeling his reaction to her caress.

After a while, his hips started thrusting into her hand, seeking even more friction. Felicity leaned her head forward and nibbled at his shoulder. His muscles were tensed as he tried to hold on instead of giving into the pleasure too soon.

Eventually, Oliver pushed himself away from the wall and captured her lips in another passionate kiss. His tongue stroked into her mouth, dancing with hers. His fingers pushed her hands away before they lowered his own boxers and let her panties follow.

“Condom,” Felicity demanded, feeling completely out of breath from their last kiss. “Now.”

Oliver didn’t need to be told twice. He bent down and grabbed a foil package from one of the pockets of his pants. He ripped it open, discarded the foil paper on the floor carelessly. He kicked away the pants and boxer briefs and stepped out of the shower quickly and grabbed one of the towels to dry his lap, so he could put on the condom safely.

Felicity watched him and took in the side of his naked body. She had seen his naked chest before. The defined abs and strong shoulders made him look like a young Adonis. His cock was long and thick. If Felicity’s core wasn’t already aching to feel him inside of her, she would be tempted to kneel down and taste him.

Before Felicity could go deeper into the imagination of what it would feel like to wrap her lips around him and pleasure him, Oliver stepped back into the shower. He caged her in between his body and the wall like he had before. Putting his hands to the back of her knees, he lifted her off the floor. Her legs came back to wrap around his hips like they had before.

When his cock brushed against her sensitive folds that were already so wet and ready to welcome him, Felicity moaned. Oliver swallowed the sound gladly, kissing her with so much passion that Felicity’s eyes would roll into the back of her head if it wasn’t for her eyes being closed already. Her back arched away from the wall, causing her hips to press closer to his. Oliver’s pubic bone rubbed against her clit. They both moaned in unison, breathing into each other’s mouths in response.

Pulling back enough to look at her, Oliver positioned himself at her entrance and sank into her slowly. He urged forward inch by inch, stretching her inner walls. When he was seated inside of her completely, their pubic bones pressing together, they held each other’s gaze for only a moment longer. Then they both leaned forward at the same time, their lips meeting in a heated kiss.

Oliver pulled his hips back a little, sliding out of her a few inches. He pressed back in slowly, stretching her walls just as deliciously as before once more. He continued with the slow rhythm for a few thrusts. His hands moved up and down her side, his thumbs brushing against her nipples briefly, matching the slow rhythm of his thrusts.

Soon, he picked up his pace though. His hips were snapping against hers. The sound of their skin slapping together mixed with the sounds of pleasure that fell from their lips as their breathing got to erratic to continue kissing. Their eyes locked onto each other’s, and the pleasure in Oliver’s eyes almost made Felicity come right there.

She held on though, not willing to have this end too soon. The hard, fast rhythm of Oliver’s thrust was just what Felicity needed. It took her mind off everything that had been going on at work these past days and made her focus on only her and how good she felt right now. She was here, really here in this moment with Oliver, and she didn’t want to be anywhere else, not in body or in mind.

No matter how hard Felicity tried, eventually the pleasure just got too much. She could feel that Oliver was close to because his thrusts were growing almost sloppy now. He pulled out and thrust back in so quickly that Felicity was almost bouncing up and down a little bit. If she had taken more from the wine, the alcohol mixed with the heat and the bouncing movements would actually make her feel dizzy.

When a particular deep thrust hit her just the right way and made his pubic bone rub against her clit, Felicity came once more. The heat that had been pooling in her stomach spread all through her body, reaching into every last cell of her skin. Her fingertips and tips of her toes were tingling. A long moan fell from her lips, and her fingernails scratched all the way down his back.

It wasn’t long until Oliver dropped his head to the crook of her neck and shoulder. His thrust into her a couple more times before his hips started stuttering. His cock jerked when he eventually released himself inside of her, and a guttural groan fell from his lips.

For a few long minutes, neither of them moved. They were both still breathing erratically, so they tried to catch their breaths. Felicity rested her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. Agreeing to a rebound relationship had really been a good idea.

“The memory of this is certainly going to help me get through this boring work dinner tonight,” Felicity said with a sigh. “I feel so very relaxed right now.”

Oliver chuckled, angling his head back. Felicity could feel his gaze on her face, but she didn’t open her eyes yet. She wasn’t ready to leave her relaxing bubble of post-coital bliss yet.

“I hope you don’t really think about this when you are having dinner with colleagues or whatever.”

Felicity chuckled. “No, of course not. I will just feel all content and relaxed.”

“I am happy to have helped with that.”

Oliver pecked her lips before he put her to the floor. Only now Felicity opened her eyes to see Oliver leaving the shower cabin to get rid of the condom. With a sigh, she took a step towards the door, already about to step out. Oliver came back and pushed her back under the streaming water though.

“Hey, where do you think you are going?”

“Home?” Felicity asked, letting herself be pushed back nonetheless. “I still have to make the way through the city to my home, take a shower and get ready for that work dinner. I don’t have time for a repetition today. Maybe next time or-“

“I wasn’t suggesting a repetition,” Oliver replied. “That would have been nice, but maybe a little too much for our first time as rebounds.”

“Okay,” Felicity said hesitatingly and frowned. They had had sex twice and it wasn’t like they needed to take things slow or anything. Sex was sex. “What were you suggesting then?”

“We shower together.”

Oliver grabbed the shower gel and applied some of it to his hands. He rubbed his hands together and put them to Felicity’s stomach, massaging the gel into her skin. It smelled neutral, not particularly sweet and feminine but not masculine either. His hands stayed around her middle, moving back and forth between her stomach, waist and back.

“So, having dinner is too much, but having a shower together is okay?” Felicity chuckled. “Care to explain your logic?”

“First of all, showering together is not against any rules,” Oliver told her. His hands moved further down her body, stroking over the top of her thighs. “Secondly, I think it’s important to create more physical intimacy outside of sex. It makes the sex all the better.”

When his hands moved between her thighs, Felicity suppressed a moan. She put her hands to Oliver’s shoulders, holding onto him when her legs started feeling wobbly.

“You really want to make this as intense as possible, don’t you?”

“I don’t like doing things half-assed, especially when it comes to sex.”

“Oh, really?”

Oliver grinned. “Really.”

When his fingers dipped into her core, Felicity sucked in a deep breath. She shot him a brief glance, wordlessly reminding him about her work dinner. Oliver’s grin widened in amusement, but he pulled his hands back and continued massaging the shower gel into the rest of her skin.

Felicity did the same for Oliver. She let her hands travel over his body slowly as she massaged the gel into his skin. Little drops of water were running down his chest, making him look incredibly hot, hotter than usually even. She enjoyed the feeling of how his muscles tensed under her touch. It was a wonderful feeling. She could even see his cock twitch slightly when she let her hands sink a little lower.

Eventually, Felicity sighed and announced that it was time for her to leave. Oliver stepped out of the shower first. He opened one of the cabinets and took a towel out, wrapping it around his hips. He took out a second one and unfolded it for Felicity, holding it out in an inviting gesture. Felicity couldn’t say why, but she blushed when she turned her back towards him and let him wrap her in.

“Thanks,” she said, shooting him a pleased smile before she looked down again. When her eyes found their clothes on the shower floor, soaked with water and shower gel, Felicity sighed. “Okay, what am I going to wear for the drive home? Please don’t say the towel.”

Oliver chuckled and nodded towards the sleeping area. “Just take something from my closet.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, it was my fault your clothes got wet.”

“That’s right.” Felicity smiled back at him over her shoulder. “I didn’t exactly complain though.”

“No, you didn’t.”

Felicity tiptoed out of the bathroom and headed to the large wardrobe. She had to open three doors before she finally found sweatpants and a shirt. She threw both of it onto the bed and dried herself before she slipped into the clothes. They were way too big for her, so she had roll up the pant legs a few times before he feet even snuck out. She was glad there was no mirror in the bedroom or at least none that she couldn’t avoid. The look would probably challenge her self-doubts.

Oliver stepped out of the bathroom, still naked except for the towel that was wrapped around his hips and with her wet clothes resting over his forearm. Felicity bit down on her tongue. He looked incredibly hot. Since the towel was wrapped low around his hips, she could see the defined muscles move there too. His skin was still damp. When he moved his hand through his short hair, Felicity realized that he looked like a photo model. Just his grin gave him away.

“I look ridiculous, don’t I?”

“Kind of.”

“Good thing we are just rebounds and not girlfriend and boyfriend then, right?” Felicity asked. “That means I don’t have to be embarrassed about it because I don’t need to look good for you all the time.”

“No, you don’t have to,” Oliver replied. His grin widened. “I can see that you are though.”

Felicity bit down on her tongue and walked over to him, playfully punching his shoulder, making Oliver chuckle. She took her wet clothes from his arm and cocked her head.

“Maybe I need a bag here with spare clothes.”

Oliver pursed his lips and cocked his head, absolutely playing into her teasing. “That’s as far as my entire relationship of six years went, a bag of her stuff at my place. Don’t tempt your luck.”

Felicity chuckled and patted his cheek playfully before she headed to the stairs. Oliver followed her down to the main area and to the door.

“I have to go on a short business trip to Central City over the weekend. I will leave early Friday morning and come back Monday night, Tuesday morning at the latest. I am not sure I have time before that,” Felicity said, slipping back into her shoes.

Oliver nodded. “Alright. The weekend is going to be busy anyway. I am supposed to work through something for my dad.”

Felicity nodded. “Good.”

Grabbing her purse, she straightened back up, unsure what the protocol said about saying goodbye to your rebound. Luckily, Oliver made the decision for the both of them. He leaned forward and gave her a lingering kiss, opening the door at the same time.

“Goodbye, Fe- John!”

Felicity almost flinched at the name of her best friend’s husband. She turned around quickly, seeing John standing in the door with his hand lifted to knock. He looked from Oliver to Felicity and back again with wide eyes.

“John,” Felicity said quickly, trying her best to ignore the blush that spread on her face and the heat it made rise to her head. As much as she tried to do so, she just wasn’t able to keep her cool in the situation though. She could already feel the babble building on her tongue before her lips opened to speak. “It’s so nice to see you here. You are probably wondering what I am doing here. Well, I could say that it’s not what you think it is, but he’s almost naked, and I am wearing his clothes so that would be ridiculous. I can assure you that we are just having sex though. I mean it’s not just sex. It’s great sex, amazing sex even. We didn’t have sex often yet, but it’s definitely great sex… which I am sure you don’t want to know about at all which is why I will leave right now.”

She really had to work on that damn brain-to-mouth filter Felicity thought to herself, already beating herself up internally for that terrible ramble that had given away way too much too soon. Since escaping the situation seemed to be her best chance to stop the embarrassment, at least for her, she stepped forward quickly. She kissed John’s cheek, mumbled a quick goodbye and hurried down the hallway towards the elevator.

Holding her breath, she pushed the button for the elevator and was more than glad that the doors opened immediately. She stepped inside the cage and pushed the button to close the door. She really didn’t want to be in their sight or earshot longer than absolutely necessary. Her face was red and heated as it was.

Just when the doors started closing, she heard Oliver say, “What? You heard her. We are just having sex.”

Groaning, Felicity dropped her head into her hand and squeezed her eyes shut. John couldn’t have found out under worse conditions. She guessed she had no choice but to tell Lyla now if she didn’t want her friend to find out about these developments from Felicity herself instead of John. With a deep sigh, she took her phone.

“Let’s better get this over with right now.”


	5. Rule 8: No Favors and No Gifts

Oliver felt cool drops of sweat running down his face. Every muscle of his body ached from exhaustion. He did consider himself well-trained since he was investing a lot of time in his fitness, especially since exercising tended to relax him, but either he was having a really bad day or his bodyguard, trainer and friend was quite hard on him today. Given that John had said a single word since they had started running, Oliver was tempted to believe it was the second.

“Anything to say, John?”

“We stop at the fountain,” John said brusquely. “We do three sets of twenty mountain climbers and ten burpees. After that, we run back. You could speed up a little. You are slow today.”

After a short moment of consideration, Oliver decided to bite back any comment that was already on the tip of his tongue. He was actually kind of sure that he knew exactly why his friend was so hard on him today. He had been sparing with words the last two days already, even more sparing than he usually was.

Once they arrived at the fountain, Oliver stepped onto the grass and started with the first set of burpees. John did the same next to him. Unsurprisingly, he was a beat quicker in every moment, so it didn’t take long for the lack of synchronicity of their rhythms to get visible.

“Faster, Oliver,” John demanded. “You are unfocused today.”

“I know I said there is nothing to talk about.” Oliver suppressed a groan as his muscles protested painfully when he started the last repetition in the first set. “I stand to what I said. If you feel like we need to talk about that, I would actually prefer a brief conversation about your problem over being tortured here.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

If Oliver wasn’t completely out of breath, he would actually chuckle about that. He had always considered himself to be passive-aggressive. Who would have thought that John could be just as pissed as he was though?

“Really?” Oliver asked. “Because you’ve barely said a word to me since you found out that Felicity and I are having sex.”

Oliver was just about to start with his first set of mountain climbers, but his muscles were aching so badly that they started trembling as he pushed his body up on his hands and toes. He knew if he didn’t want to spend the next week on the couch, unable to move, he had to take a little break. Letting himself drop down, he rolled onto his back and sat up. Not saying a word, he watched his friend continue with the exercise. Apparently, John wasn’t even going to rant with him anymore now.

When he and Felicity had found out that they had mutual friends, Oliver hadn’t considered that to be a problem. His rebound relationship with Felicity was uncomplicated because there were no feelings involved, and they were both on the same side in regards to that. Oliver didn’t even exclude that they might become friends. If he and Felicity were able to see it that casual, why couldn’t John?

“You always tell me I am getting stomach ulcers if I don’t let it out. Maybe you should take your own advice to heart here.”

John jumped up into a standing position, finishing his second set of burpees. Instead of continuing with the next exercise, he put his hands to his hips and looked at Oliver. He still didn’t say anything. Only when Oliver perked up his eyebrows, John released a long breath.

“Felicity’s Lyla’s friend. She’s my friend. She’s almost like a little sister to me,” John told him firmly. “I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“She won’t. We are just having fun.”

“The both of you or just you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Oliver asked and frowned. “Felicity herself told you that we are just having sex. We are very transparent with each other that we don’t want anything serious. Neither of us does.”

John looked at Oliver for a long moment, but neither of the friends said anything. If they had had this kind of conversation six years ago, Oliver was sure that John would address the many heartbreaks he might have caused in the past. Maybe Oliver had been a little bit too casual and a little bit too quiet about that once. For the past six years, he had been in a committed and faithful relationship though, so he felt that he deserved his friend’s trust with this. He would live up to the rules they had agreed on, and he trusted Felicity to do the same. This was going to work and be just as uncomplicated as they imagined it to be.

“John, Felicity is an adult,” Oliver said eventually, “and she made this choice, knowing exactly what to expect from me. If you don’t trust me, you could at least trust Felicity’s judgement.”

That seemed to work for John because he started nodding slowly. After a moment, he lowered his eyes and stared at his feet. It didn’t take long for him to look up again though.

“And what happens if Lyla and I are going to invite you to over to our place?”

“We can deal with that,” Oliver said. “Felicity and I discussed it. We can handle it. Otherwise, we would have ended our agreement when we found out that we have mutual friends.”

When John perked up his eyebrows, Oliver frowned slightly about his choice of words. He couldn’t deny that working for his father had already rubbed off on him. It wasn’t the first time in the last few weeks that he noticed he was talking a little bit like a business guy. He hoped that would change again soon.

“No comment about sex?”

“Like what? The only way the evening could get awkward is if Lyla or you catch us having sex in the bathroom?”

“I am pretty sure you said something like that when I wanted to invite you and Helena once.” John faltered briefly. “The four of us never met together though.”

“It wasn’t Helena’s thing.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. Helena had always preferred her own friends over his. “Felicity and I have a rebound relationship that is based on mutual respect, so there are not going to be any jokes about sex.”

“So, there was no respect for Helena?”

“Of course there was. For us, sex was just one thing though. We loved each other.” Oliver shrugged is off. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter anymore anyway. Helena and I are done. Felicity and I-“

When Oliver’s phone vibrated in his pants, he pulled it out and shot a brief look at the display. He smiled when he saw Felicity had texted.

**F:** I can bare 20 minutes to meet for some amazing goodbye-sex before I have to leave for Central City tomorrow. It has to be right now though. Interested?

**O:** On my way!

“-are going to meet now, so I gotta go.” Oliver jumped up onto his feet and pushed his phone back into the pocket of his pants. “See you tomorrow, John.”

“Hey, what about the rest of training?”

Still continuing to run, Oliver turned around to his friend. “The run should be enough.”

Oliver turned back around, so he didn’t have to run backwards any longer since it wasn’t really his strength. As he ran back to his home, suddenly having his energy back with the prospect of sex, he wondered if John’s last question had been meant to trick him into making a comment about sex since sex was kind of training too after all.

He knew if that had been John’s plan, it had probably just meant to be teasing him though. John was his friend and a really good one even. It hadn’t taken long for them to warm up to each other after his dad had assigned him the bodyguard. They were quite different, but they were both into sports and just got along well. That John had been cautious of Oliver’s rebound relationship with Felicity was one of those reasons. They were both trying to take care of the people they loved, especially when it came to little sisters apparently.

Oliver pushed that thought away and put the energy into running instead. He didn’t want to think about his family right now. It was bad enough that his father was haunting his thoughts as it was by forcing him into the family’s company. If he thought about all the other messed up stuff he had done, Oliver would be too angry to even have a somewhat normal talk with his father.

When Oliver stepped into the foyer of the apartment house fifteen minutes later, he headed right for the elevators. The concierge held him back though.

“Mr. Queen?” he called and smiled when Oliver approached him with perked up eyebrows. “There was a parcel delivered for you.”

The old man put parcel onto the reception desk and pushed it into his direction. Oliver frowned slightly. He hadn’t ordered anything, at least not that he could remember. He just thanked the concierge and took the parcel with him though.

As soon as he was in the elevator, he opened the parcel and sighed when he saw the shoebox of the expensive French shoe designer he couldn’t pronounce inside. He had ordered the shoes as a gift for Helena since her birthday was coming closer. It had been quite the challenge to get his hands on this version since it wasn’t even available in the stores yet and there were so many advance orders that people who ordered now had to expect a waiting period of ten to twelve months. Thanks to his contacts, he had been able to get a pair before they were officially available though. Too bad that he didn’t have anyone to give these shoes to now.

Oliver unlocked the door to his loft and kicked it shut after him. He threw the shoebox into one of the armchairs carelessly. He headed right to the stairs since he wanted to take a quick shower before Felicity came here. If she only had twenty minutes, he guessed there was no time to take a shower with her like they had the last time. They would have to be satisfied with having a quickie, but Oliver didn’t mind. Their two quickies at Verdant had been just as amazing as the sex in the shower here a few days ago.

He had just reached the top of the stairs, his shirt already off, when the doorbell rang. Frowning, Oliver turned around and ran back downstairs to open.

“Felicity.” He perked up his eyebrows. “You’re already here.”

“I told you it had to be now,” Felicity replied, simply walking past him into the loft. She dropped her purse onto the floor and took off the light summer coat, letting it follow. She kicked her shoes away and put her hands to her hips. “The traffic lights at the corner Fifth and Maple Street hate me, so I had to wait there two times. Hence, we only have fifteen minutes left, but I see that you are thinking for yourself.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows, and Felicity cocked her head. She gestured up and down his body and Oliver followed her gaze to his naked torso.

“I was actually about to take a shower.”

Felicity let out an indescribable sound, something like a mixture of a sigh and a whimper. Her eyes were still focused on his abs, the expression in her eyes dreamy. He chuckled.

“Earth to Felicity.”

That seemed to snap Felicity out of her thoughts. She blinked a few times until her eyes were focused on his. A blush rose to her cheeks and spread all the way down over the side of her neck to the top of her chest. Oliver bit down on the inside of his cheek. He loved watching that blush.

While Oliver was still enjoying that moment of embarrassment, Felicity caught herself quickly. She shot a brief look at her watch and cleared her throat.

“Okay, we have like eleven minutes left now. Can you do that?”

“No shower necessary?”

“Nope, no shower necessary.” Felicity sighed, her eyes drifting down to his abs that were covered with cold sweat. “I am going to head home from here anyway and take a shower at home. I can live with the thought of a sweaty man moving on top of me of in front of me or wherever. Now, less talk and more sex, or we have spent the fifteen minutes I had for sex with talking.”

Oliver grinned. He couldn’t say why, but there was something weirdly erotic about Felicity being bossy. Oliver had always liked being the one to take charge and to take the initiative. With Felicity, he liked having her calling the shots too. Maybe it was about the way she switched from being slightly nervous or embarrassed or whatever to the woman he had first met, the woman who had walked up to a total stranger and initiated hot sex with him.

“Ten minutes?” Oliver puckered his lips. “More than enough time.”

With that, Oliver closed the distance to Felicity and captured her lips in a hungry kiss. She responded to it without hesitation, wrapping her arms around his neck and stroking her tongue against his. Oliver knew they had to make the most of their time, so he walked her backwards to the rustic dining table and lifted her onto it. With his hands on her knees, he pushed up the skirt of his dress until it pooled around her waist. There was no time to undress today.

Felicity’s hands moved down from his necks over his shoulders to his chest. Her flat hands pressed against his abs and her fingernails scratched his sensitive skin lightly. Her gentle touch of her finger against his hard muscles set his skin on fire so easily. He could feel his cock twitch in his pants in response. Oliver groaned against Felicity’s lips, grabbing a handful of her hair to keep her against him.

He spread her legs, so he could step between them and start rubbing himself against her. Felicity gasped for breath when his already half-erect cock pressed against her center through the thin layers of clothing that were separating them. He set a fast rhythm, pressing against her folds and clit again and again until they were both out of breath.

As good as it felt to rub himself against her like that and to feel her body melting into his touch more with every thrust, Oliver knew there was no time to waste. Ten minutes weren’t much after all, so he pulled back enough to push her panties aside and push two fingers into her already wet center. Felicity’s head fell back as she gasped for breath, every muscle in her body tensing at the unexpected intrusion, and her fingers tightened around his shoulders.

“Oliver,” she choked out.

Oliver watched her face as he started stroking his fingers against the slick walls of her channel and rub his thumb over her clit in a matching rhythm. Felicity was staring at the ceiling, but the empty expression in her eyes told him that she wasn’t really seeing anything she was looking at. Her pupils were blown wide, but certainly unable to see as the pleasure was clouding her senses. Her lips were opened, the breaths leaving her lungs in erratic pants.

It wasn’t long until her fingers were dipping into his shoulders to firmly that Oliver felt a somewhat pleasurable pain at the touch. Despite her heavy breathing, he leaned forward and stole another kiss from Felicity’s lips. She moaned into his mouth, the vibration turning him on beyond belief.

Eventually, Oliver pulled his fingers back from Felicity. By now, her body was trembling from pleasure, and Oliver felt like his entire body was wrapped in fire. It tingled on his skin in a slightly painful yet absolutely pleasuring way. The need to be inside of her and feel his aching cock being held gently by her slick walls as he thrust in and out of her was growing quickly. He wanted to see her face when she fell apart in his arms and feel it triggering his own orgasm soon later.

Oliver frisked the pocket of his sweatpants for condoms, but he couldn’t find any. From the corner of his eye, Oliver could see Felicity lifting something. He pulled back, breaking the kiss to see the foil package between her fingers.

“I see you came prepared.”

“I didn’t want you to complain that you have to spend all your hard-earned money on condoms.”

“You won’t believe it, but I can afford a few condoms.”

“Probably.” Felicity grinned. “I kind of owe you a little bit for that wine earlier this week though. We don’t want to create any imbalance here, right?”

“Well, we will have to have a lot of sex if you want to pay that money back in condoms.”

Felicity’s grin widened. “So?”

“So I guess we better get started already.”

Oliver captured Felicity’s lips in another kiss, putting all his want and need for her right now into it. When Felicity broke the kiss eventually, her tongue darting out to wet her lips a brief moment later. Oliver felt his cock twitch at the side of it. Not for the first time he wondered how it would feel to have her lips wrap around his cock and her tongue teasing him to the point that he would beg her to finally release him. After that, he would offer her the same kindness in return, taking the time to tease her in the most pleasure way as he ate her out.

There was no time for that right now though, so Oliver just pushed down his pants and boxer briefs in one go until they were pooling around his ankles. He reached out his hand for the foil package in Felicity’s fingers, but she ripped it open herself and rolled it down onto him. Oliver bit down on his tongue and held onto the edge of the table firmly, resisting the urge to thrusting into her hand. The light touch of her fingers against his cock was already enough to make the back of his spine tingle with the urge to move his hips until they were both high from pleasure.

Oliver held onto Felicity’s hip with one hand and grabbed hold of his cock with his other hand. Locking eyes with her, he pushed her panties away and positioned himself at her entrance. He pushed in with one hard thrust. Felicity gasped for breath, her hands taking hold of his shoulders again. He let her adjust to the feeling of having him buried inside of her, using the moment to gather his self-control.

Eventually, he started thrusting. He slid in and out of her slowly a couple of times, getting used to the feeling of moving inside of her again. Felicity grabbed the hair at the back of his head and pulled him in for a searing kiss. Her tongue stroked into his mouth, and Oliver moaned as her taste invaded his mouth. She tasted so perfectly sweet.

Soon he grabbed her hips more tightly and pulled her to the edge of the table though. He increased the pace of his thrusts, pushing into her quickly again and again. Felicity thrust back at him as good as she could. It caused the table to move back and forth over the hardwood floor. Oliver smiled into the kiss about the noise it caused, and he could feel that the corners of Felicity’s lips were twitching in amusement too.

Then their kiss got sloppier in response to their growing pleasure, they pulled apart. Their eyes locked, and Oliver could see the amusement he had felt in the kiss already sparkle in her eyes now. Oliver grinned slightly, and Felicity laughed in response. At least Oliver assumed that she was laughing as the long moan his next thrust elicited swallowed the sound.

Oliver leaned forward, pressing his chest against Felicity’s. He could feel her heart pounding against her ribs with force, and it wasn’t long for his heart to adapt to the rhythm of hers. As the new position caused him to reach even deeper spots inside of her, it was just what they both needed. Felicity moaned every time the tip of his cock rubbed against that special spot inside of her.

When he felt her walls flutter around him, gripping his cock more tightly with each thrust, Oliver increased the pace of his thrusts once more. All it took were a couple of thrusts more for Felicity’s lips to fall open in a soundless cry. Three thrusts later, she was falling apart. Her pupils grew even wider, the expression in her eyes clouded from the pleasure. Her body was trembling and her fingernails scratched down his back. Oliver was sure it was going to leave red marks. He didn’t mind though.

He thrusted a few times more until the tingling at the base of his spine became irresistible. He captured Felicity’s lips in a hungry kiss, letting her swallow the groaning sounds that came from deep in his chest. He pushed into her one last time before he allowed the pleasure to spread all through his body, filling ever fiber of himself, as he released into the condom.

They were both out of breath, their hearts hammering in their chests in the same quick rhythm. Oliver stroked his tongue against Felicity’s one last time before he pulled back with a groan. As their eyes met, they looked at each other for a moment. There was a beat of silence before they both started chuckling.

“I don’t even know why we are laughing,” Felicity admitted.

“I don’t know either.”

Again, they both chuckled.

If there was a reason why he really considered this rebound relationship a good thing that would work, it was the fact that it was not just brief meetups to have sex and then go. They were having fun apart from the sex too.

“You can use the bathroom downstairs to clean yourself up. It’s the door behind the kitchen,” Oliver suggested. “I’ll go upstairs and take a quick shower. I will need five minutes at max.”

“Okay.”

“Are you still here if I come back?”

Felicity took a brief look onto her watch. “I think I can bear five minutes.”

“Good.”

Oliver pecked Felicity’s lips shortly and pulled out of her. He hissed at the feeling but tried to cover it by clearing his throat. He quickly pulled his boxer briefs and sweatpants back up and headed to the stairs.

Just like he had said, he took a quick shower. The hot water felt good, and the way it pattered down on his aching muscles was just what he needed. Oliver sighed. He was certainly going to have a muscle hangover tomorrow. John’s torture lesson had been definitely enough to overwork his muscles a little. Oliver was just lucky that John hadn’t been able to torture him any longer because he was sure he’d be unable to move if he had continued with the sets of exercises or even more of John’s instructions.

It took Oliver a few minutes longer than he had expected to step out of the shower. He dried his skin only briefly before he wrapped the damp towel around his hips and went back downstairs. Halfway down the stairs he saw Felicity sitting on the kitchen island, sipping at a glass of water. When she saw him, she cocked her head.

Oliver perked up his eyebrows. “What?”

“You are just trying to tempt me into another round.”

“By wearing nothing but a towel?”

“Exactly.” Felicity took another nib of the water. “It’s distracting.”

“Such shame.”

Oliver grinned as he stepped in front of her and took the glass from her. He emptied it before he put it back to the counter. Letting his fingertips brush against her knees, he leaned forward and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. Felicity sighed into the kiss, cupping his cheeks and stroking her fingers through his stubble. Her fingernails scratched along his skin softly.

“Maybe you should skip the shower and make a little more time for me to relax you,” Oliver suggested, pulling back just enough to say the words, before he kissed her again. “What do you say?”

Felicity groaned, actually struggling with the decision it seemed. Oliver perked up his eyebrows, but Felicity let out a long breath and shook her head. With her hands on his chest, she pushed him the length of an arm away from her. Oliver chuckled.

“I don’t have time,” Felicity said with a sigh, “but I will do my best to make more time when I am back next week.”

“Alright. It was just an offer.”

“A much-appreciated offer that was hard to reject.”

Oliver chuckled. “Good.”

“Good.” Felicity smiled. Eventually, she puckered her lips. “Did John say anything else about that awkward encounter earlier this week by the way? I told Lyla about it, and she was a little surprised, but I guess she’s not going to butt into our decision. I didn’t have time to ask her how John is feeling about this.”

“Well, he didn’t say anything about it,” Oliver said with a sigh. “He actually barely said a word to me since he found out.”

Felicity puckered her lips and screwed up her nose. “Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Oliver said. He shrugged his shoulders. “John wants to watch out for you, and he’s worried about you.”

“Well, we’re friends.”

“More like family according to him.”

Felicity smiled, but she lowered her eyes and looked at her hands in her lap. Oliver watched her, feeling weirdly infected by her smile. If he wasn’t mistaken, it meant a lot to her that John was referring to her as part of his family. Oliver felt his fingers tingle with the urge to tug a strand of her hair back behind her ear and lift her chin, so he could look at her and assure her that John really meant it. He rubbed his hands over his thighs, wishing he wore pants with pockets to push his hands into. It would help to resist the urge of touching her right now.

“I am going to talk to him and-”

“Not necessary.” Oliver shook his head. “After he tried to torture me with training today, actually kind of did so to be honest, I addressed the elephant in the room. I think he can deal with it now, but we might have to have dinner with him and Lyla to convince him that we are adult enough to manage that without ending up having sex in the bathroom or throw spaghetti at each other.”

Felicity gasped for breath dramatically, holding her hand to her chest. “We are going to have a double date with dinner. Our second rule is destined to be shattered once and for all.”

“I think it’s safe to say that our second rule is dead,” Oliver agreed, “mainly because you brought dinner here earlier this week.”

“I didn’t. It was lunch or a midday snack.” She punched his shoulder playfully. “Why don’t you listen to me?”

“Hey, you are not my girlfriend. I don’t have to listen.” When Felicity rolled her eyes at him, Oliver chuckled but quickly shrugged it off. “No, really. I think it’s better to show them that we have actually thought this through and can handle that. I’d rather break that rule than have John breaking me. I can already imagine the muscle hangover I’ll have tomorrow, and I don’t think I want to go through that again. Besides, it’s quite annoying when your bodyguard who is following you everywhere all day doesn’t talk to you and cast you those angry side-glares.”

Felicity cocked her head, grinning in amusement. “Oh, I can attest you that you were in good shape despite the tough training. You shouldn’t take training lightly though. If we ever go for another round, you better work on your stamina. We don’t want you to be knocked out after the first round already.”

“My stamina is in the best shape,” Oliver told Felicity, stepping back between her legs and pulling her to the edge. “I could show you how good my stamina is and-”

When his lips brushed against Felicity’s, she groaned and pushed him away gently. Taking in a deep breath, she slid off the counter and smoothed out the wrinkles from her dress.

“I really gotta go now.”

While Felicity put her coat back on and grabbed her purse, Oliver gathered her pumps from the floor. As he picked them up, he caught sight of the size.

“You have the same size as Helena.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Felicity perked up her eyebrows and took the shoes from him, putting them on. She frowned. “Please don’t tell me you have a fetish for feet.”

Oliver chuckled. “God, no.”

“Good.” Felicity sighed. “I just can’t with people who have a fetish for feet. It freaks me out.”

“Yeah, if there is one part of the human body that I like, it’s shoulders.”

“Not boobs?”

“Well, boobs aren’t bad either, but I like shoulders.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “Weird?”

“Not as weird as feet, so it’s fine. I swear if you had a fetish for shoes, I would have broken things off right now.” She shook her head. “Anyway, was there a reason you mentioned Helena’s shoe size?”

“There is because I think I have something for you.”

Oliver walked towards the armchair where he had dropped what had meant to be Helena’s birthday present. He grabbed the box, turning back around to Felicity. She had her eyebrows perked up and her head cocked.

“Are you talking about a gift because that would clearly be against our eighth rule.”

“I guess we can screw one more rule. The messed-up dinner-rule didn’t cause us to fall head over heels in love with each other either, right?” he stepped in front of her and grinned. “On the other hand, you can of course pay for these if you want to.”

“Well, I am not that fond of the rule, especially since it was yours if I recall correctly.”

Smiling, Felicity held out her hands. Oliver handed her the box and beckoned her to open it. Felicity just lowered her gaze when she gasped for breath though

“Oh my god. You are getting me shoes from Henry Gagneux?”

“Technically, I wanted to get Helena shoes from that guy.”

“You are really getting me shoes from Henry Gagneaux.” Felicity opened the box, apparently not listening to him at all, and Oliver almost expected her to screech, but Felicity seemed to catch herself in the last moment and just released a low sound that revealed how excited she was. “Oh my god.”

“I guess I met your taste?”

“My taste? Are you kidding?” Felicity lifted the purple shoe and took a close look at it. “These shoes are every woman’s taste, or at least they should be. I mean look at them. They are beautiful, perfect even. They are art.”

A wide smile spread on Oliver’s lips at her excitement. It had been a long time since he had seen anyone that happy about a gift he had given them. He was actually sure that Helena would have smiled and kissed him, but she wouldn’t have been as sincerely excited as Felicity was right now. Someone like Helena, who was used to always getting everything she wanted and being able to afford everything money could buy, just couldn’t worship a present like this, Oliver guessed.

“You know, I actually wanted to buy them,” Felicity said. “I saw them on the internet and fell in love. I just didn’t want to spend that much money on shoes. I mean they really cost a lot. You could make a lot of money by selling them now. How did you even get them already? They aren’t available yet.”

“I don’t care about the money. I would have probably just given them to anyone if I hadn’t seen that you wear the same size of shoes.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “And I am not going to tell you where I got them because I gotta keep some secrets.”

Felicity stroked her fingers over the shoes, looking at them almost reverently. “They are so beautiful.”

“And now they are yours.”

Felicity lifted her gaze and smiled at him. “Thank you, Oliver.”

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “You’re welcome.”

Still smiling, Felicity stepped forward and kissed him gently. Oliver was a little bit surprised about it, but he responded to the kiss nonetheless. He captured her bottom lip between his and smiled at Felicity when their lips parted.

“Okay, I really gotta go now.”

“Sure.” Oliver walked her to the door and opened it for her. “We are going to text after the weekend?”

“Sounds good. Bye, Oliver.”

“Bye, Felicity.”

Felicity waved back at him when she stopped in front of the elevators and Oliver smiled. He waited until the elevator doors closed before he walked back into the loft and headed towards the stairs to put on some clothes. He had just reached the head of the stairs when his phone started buzzing. If he continued to be called downstairs whenever he had reached the head of the stairs, he could probably add stair climbing to his exercise list of the day.

Sighing, he went back downstairs and regretted that choice the moment he saw his father’s name on the display. He really should have just ignored his phone.

“Dad,” Oliver said when he took the phone. “What can I do for you?”

“I want you to meet me at the company in an hour.”

Oliver frowned. “Why? Can’t we do that some other day. I was actually planning on-”

“This is important, Oliver,” Robert interrupted him, his voice strict. “I want you to take this seriously.”

Oliver suppressed a sigh. Everything that was happening at the company was important and had to be taken seriously. Since Oliver had been a kid, it had never been different.

“What exactly is so important this time?”

“Queen Consolidated was offered to start a joint project with another local company. It’s a really promising idea, and I want you to meet the CEO of the other company next week to start working out a contract for the collaboration.” Robert made a brief pause. “It’s going to be a big chance to prove what you have learned so far. Let’s take it as your baptism of fire if you want to call it that.”

Oliver doubted that it really was a chance. He knew his father well enough to know that he didn’t just assigned him a task like that without any ulterior motivations. He probably wanted to prove to him once more how little he knew yet and how much more time and effort he had to invest in the company.

Even if it was a chance, Oliver didn’t want it. He had never wanted to become a part of the company, and he still didn’t. He knew that didn’t matter to his dad at all though.

“I’ll be there.”


	6. Rule 5: No Pillow Talks

Oliver hit the button for the elevator repeatedly, ignoring the somewhat worried and yet annoyed glances his father’s assistant shot him from her desk. He just wanted to get the hell out of here and find a way to relieve all the frustration that had been piling up inside his chest during the day. For weeks, this had been his new normal.

When the elevator doors finally opened for him, Oliver stepped in. He wished he could slam the doors shut behind him. Instead, he leaned back against the call wall of the cage and waited for the doors to close themselves. As soon as the elevator started its way down to the underground garage, he closed his eyes and released a deep breath.

He didn’t know how long this was supposed to continue. It was like every day was the same. He got up with a heavy heart, went to work although he hated it and was only frustrated when he came home. It had gotten to a point that he was almost sure he’d suffer from stomach ulcers already or at least he would do so soon.

The question, why he let his father do any of this, ghosted through his head once more like it had done so often before. He pushed it away like he always did though. He couldn’t let that get to him.

The elevator doors opened in the underground parking. Oliver stepped out and headed to his car. As soon as he was home, he would slip out of his suit and put on some sports clothes to head for a long and fast run to get his mind of everything. There was barely anything better to ease some tension and forget your frustration than running. The only better way was probably sex.

Oliver puckered his lips as he unlocked the car. He slipped out of his suit jacket and threw it onto the passenger seat. He let his tie follow and undid the three topmost buttons of his shirt. At least now he could breathe again Oliver thought to himself as he pulled her phone out of the pocket of his pants to text Felicity.

**O:** Just finished work. Should we meet?

Their rebound relationship was really going great. Even if it had only been going for a couple of weeks, he really felt that it had been a good move. It was uncomplicated, especially since neither he nor Felicity made it complicated at all. It was exactly what he needed.

**F:** I’m at home. Come by anytime.

**O:** Send me your address. I’m on my way.

The address led him into the outskirts that were almost a little like the suburbs. One townhouse was built next to the other one. The tiny front yards were trimmed. Kids were using the sunny weather to play on the sidewalks. Oliver tapped his finger against the display of his navigation system, wondering if it had misled him, but next thing he knew he turned into Highbury Avenue which was the address Felicity had sent him. He released a deep sigh.

He had never been to Felicity’s place before, but he had wondered what her home would look like from time to time. A small townhouse in a family-friendly neighborhood hadn’t really been his guess. To say he was surprised really was an underestimation.

It made him wonder who Felicity really was. He new her forename but not her surname. He knew that her father wasn’t around and she didn’t have much contact to her mother, but he didn’t know if she had siblings. He knew she was her own boss but not what area she was working in. He knew that it was better that way because even though they were kind of friends, it didn’t hurt to keep some things private. Still, he was nosy.

Oliver stopped his car in front of Felicity’s house. He took an almost nervous look around like he was waiting for a neighbor to spy on everything happening in the street. At least that was what was always portrayed on TV Oliver thought to himself when he knocked Felicity’s door. Nobody seemed to be hiding behind the curtains to watch him though.

Felicity was leaning against the door when she opened it, and a slightly amused smile spread on his lips at seeing her. So far, she had always been dressed perfectly neatly. She had always worn classic yet modern and pretty dresses. Today, she wore sweatpants with polka dots, a white top with colorful feathers printed all over it and no shoes. Her hair fell onto her shoulders in soft waves like it had been the first two times they had met. She wore glasses which was another first.

When Oliver didn’t say anything and just looked her up and down, Felicity perked up her eyebrows and puckered her lips. Oliver moved his tongue against the inside of his cheek for a moment, biting back a grin. Felicity cocked her head slightly in response, perking up her eyebrow just a little bit more.

A thousand things he wanted to do with her and to her crossed his mind. Even though she was in what was probably her most causal clothes, Oliver felt himself being completely turned on by her. He knew if sex with her didn’t manage to distract him from work, nothing would.

“Do you want to-“

Oliver didn’t let her finish. He lost no more time and stepped forward. Wrapping his arms around her, he kicked the door shut and turned them. He caged her body between the door and his chest, pressing his bodies to hers and capturing her lips in a hungry kiss.

Felicity seemed to need a moment to catch up. Her hands didn’t touch him, and she only reacted to the kiss hesitatingly. Oliver was about to pull away and ask if she was even in the mood to have sex. He had assumed so since she had agreed on meeting him, but maybe he had been wrong.

Before he could pull back and ask her, Felicity caught up to his little attack though. She responded to the kiss, giving as good as she got from Oliver. She bit down on his bottom lip lightly and stroked her tongue into his mouth when that caused him to moan out loud. Her right leg wrapped around his hip. She opened herself so him and started rubbing herself against his pants. He could feel her nipples harden under her shirt as she didn’t seem to wear a bra.

Oliver already needed more though. He stroked his hands from her waist to her hips and along the waistband of her sweatpants to the small bow on the front. He undid it quickly and pulled her sweatpants and panties down in one go. Felicity moaned at that quick undressing and was already pulling the hem of his shirt out of his pants.

Oliver had different plans though, so he moved his fingers between her legs and stroked them between her already wet folds. Felicity gasped for breath, digging her hands into his shoulders. Her lips parted from his as her head fell back against the door. Her eyes screwed shut, and her lips opened in quite pleasure.

Watching her face, watching how much pleasure he was causing her with just some touches, Oliver stroked his fingers closer to her center. When he dipped the tips inside, Felicity took in a deep breath and looked at her. Her pupils were already blown wide in hunger. Slowly, Oliver thrust his fingers inside of her, feeling her slick walls accepting them inside gladly.

For a long moment, neither of them moved. They just looked at each other, enjoying the moment. Oliver could feel Felicity’s walls pulsating around his fingers already. It made his finger itch to move. He forced himself to stay still and just watch her face though.

Eventually, Felicity started thrusting her hips against his shoulder. Oliver met her lips in another passionate kiss. Their tongues and lips moved in rhythm with Felicity’s hips as she thrust them against his fingers to get exactly the pleasure she wanted and needed to increase her pleasure. Oliver let her, adapting her rhythm to thrust his fingers inside of her.

When Felicity’s breathing his erratic, she angled her head back, parting their lips. Oliver kissed down her neck and started sucking at her pulse point. It was just as wild as her breathing. She was so close to the edge that every move of her hips made her gasp for breath and every breath that left her turned into a moan. Scratching his teeth against the soft skin of her neck, he flicked his thumb against her clit.

Felicity moaned out long. Her eyes opened wide, but her gaze was unfocused. Her walls started clamping around his fingers. One last twitch of his thumb was all it took for her to fall over the edge and come. Her fingers dug into his shoulders to a point where it was almost painful, but Oliver didn’t mind. Seeing, hearing and feeling how much pleasure he caused her made his hard cock press against his boxer briefs and ache with the need to be released.

As Felicity came down from her high, her legs started wobbling. When they threatened to give in, Oliver pulled his fingers out of her and put his hands to the back of her knees and lifted her into his arms. Felicity released a content sigh and wrapped her arms around his shoulders loosely. Her lips hovered over his for a moment before their met in a slow kiss. Oliver felt his cock twitch in his pants, needing some release. He did his best to ignore that urge for now though.

When their lips broke apart, their eyes met. Felicity smiled and released a content sigh. Her fingers moved through his stubble.

“Hi.”

Oliver chuckled. “Hey.”

For a long moment, they just looked at each other. Oliver could read in Felicity’s eyes that she knew something was going on in him. He guessed that not saying a word, not even a greeting, and just taking her here right at the door had been a good indicator. Her fingers continued stroking through his stubble while she was watching his face.

Oliver felt his stomach prickle a little. Felicity looked at him like she was ready to listen to whatever he had to say. Oliver just didn’t want to talk though. Even just thinking about all the things he could say made his anger return. If he talked about it, he’d feel just as pissed of as he had been before he had started kissing Felicity.

“Bedroom?”

Felicity pulled back a little bit. For a brief moment, she took in his face. Oliver almost believed that she was going to say something, she just nodded her head to somewhere behind him though.

“Bedroom is the second room to the right.”

Oliver smiled and pecked Felicity’s lips chastely. They had never really talked about anything too private with each other apart from that night when they had made the rules and talked about their exes. It was why their rebound relationship was working. They didn’t get pulled in with any emotions. Once you knew someone too well, you could build connections that were deeper than a friendship, especially when it was mixed with sex. Oliver didn’t want that. He wanted to get to know Felicity because he was nosy what kind of person she was. He didn’t want to mess up what they had though.

Oliver carried her to the bedroom while they continued kissing slowly. He sat her down on the bed before he stepped back and took off his clothes without saying a word. He needed to be inside of her and hear her moan as he thrust into her hard. His cock was aching for it, and his head needed the feeling of utter detachedness from all heavy thoughts.

When Oliver had gotten rid off all clothes, Felicity had already taken off her top and glasses too. She held a foil package between her fingers. Their eyes locked. Without any hesitation, Felicity took the condom from the package and beckoned him to come closer. Oliver groaned at the feeling of her warm fingers against his hard cock. She took hold of it to roll them condom down onto him.

She started to pump him in her fist, but Oliver wasn’t down for any more foreplay. Pleasuring Felicity and watching her fall apart at the thrusts of his fingers had made his cock harden to a point that it was almost painful. The thoughts about work that crossed his mind occasionally only made him want to take her even more.

He pushed her hand away and crawled onto the bed above her. He stayed propped up onto his hands for a moment before he lowered himself onto Felicity’s naked body. Their lips met in a kiss while they were both sighing at the feeling of their warm bodies pressing together. There was no uncomfortableness, never had been. Their bodies fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, finding their places easily as they connected.

Oliver was about to lose no time and grab hold of his cock to thrust into her. Before he could do so, Felicity wrapped her legs around his hips. With a quick and strong movement of her hips, she turned them around, pressing Oliver down into the hard mattress. He perked up his eyebrows, but Felicity only smiled at him mischievously. She put one hand onto his shoulder and positioned him at her entrance.

Their eyes locked while she was slowly lowering herself onto him. Her slick, warm center took his aching cock in easily. Oliver’s hips were shifting on the mattress, already urging to move and bury himself deeper inside of her. He held onto Felicity’s hips firmly, keeping his hips still.

Once he was seated deep inside of Felicity, she stopped. Both of her hands were resting on his shoulders. Her chest was leaning forward, her face hovering over his. Her blonde hair was falling down around his face. Oliver tugged it back behind her ears, so she could see her face. Her full lips were opened in quiet pants. Her blue eyes were still locked on his, taking him in intently.

When Oliver couldn’t take it anymore, he started thrusting up. Felicity moaned, letting her head fall back into her neck. She straightened up a little, stroking her fingers down over his naked chest to his stomach. She used her hold on him to give her some leverage as she started riding him. It took a few moments until their bodies found the rhythm that matched each other’s. Soon, they were moving in perfect harmony though. Felicity determined rhythm, changing it every once in a while, and Oliver adapted to it easily.

It was quick and hard, less playful than the last times they had sex. They were both following the urge to get the most from their pleasure. Yet, it wasn’t any less amazing. Their bodies were moving together just the right way. Their moans filled the room, mixing with the sounds of their skin slapping together and the dull sound of the bed rocking against the wall with ever downthrust of Felicity’s hips.

Oliver could feel the memory of all the crap that had happened at Queen Consolidated today and all of the last days and weeks still pull at her in his tense muscles. It maybe even crossed his mind, but it never got too far to his consciousness. Every time his cock was buried deep into Felicity’s heat, it was even pushed further away from his mind. Oliver was sure that even if he was trying to continue brooding about it, he wouldn’t be able to.

It wasn’t long until he felt her walls tighten around his cock more and more. The fluttering turned into a pulsing more and more. Felicity’s movements lost rhythm. She was chasing her relief, being so close to it that her lips were already opened in a soundless cry.

When she came, her walls tightening around his aching member so firmly that Oliver groaned out loudly, he turned them around quickly. Felicity released a low screech of shock as her back suddenly pressed into the mattress. Oliver lost no time. He put her right leg over his shoulder and pounded into her relentlessly.

He could feel Felicity’s hands on his cheeks, cupping his face. He found her gaze already on her when he opened his eyes. She was looking at him intently, stroking her fingertips through his stubble in an almost soothing way. Oliver swallowed, and his hips lost their rhythm a little bit. He could almost lose himself in her eyes, in the way she looked at him like she knew exactly what was going on in his life and that it was all going to be okay.

The prickling at the base of his spine increased. Oliver shook off any thought he had just had and just continued pushing himself inside of Felicity. It only took three more thrusts until he could finally let go. His pleasure crushed over him, and he hid his face against the side of her neck as he rid out his pleasure by continuing with a lazy series of thrusts.

When Felicity’s body tensed once more and surprised gasp fell from her lips at the sudden second orgasm, Oliver grinned against the side of her neck. He stopped moving, just relaxing on top of Felicity like their bodies were melting together. Felicity started stroking her fingertips up and down his neck slowly.

For a long moment, they just lay like that. Neither of them said a word. The only movements were the one of Felicity’s fingers. They were both trying to catch their breaths. Their hearts were beating quickly.

Oliver wished he could lie here forever or at least for another few hours because he had a pile of papers to read for the task his father had assigned him with and-

Groaning, Oliver squeezed his eyes shut. Sex had been a great distracting as long as it had lasted. Now his muscles were a little bit more relaxed, but he knew it wasn’t going to be that way for long. He already felt his frustration building up again. With a low sigh, Oliver rolled off Felicity and dropped onto the mattress next to her. He stared at the ceiling for a long moment before he rubbed his hands over his face and squeezed his eyes shut.

He turned to Felicity. “Bathroom?”

“Over there,” Felicity replied, gesturing towards the door next to the bed. “Washcloths are in the second drawer under the sink and towels are in the cabinet on the right side. If you could just throw me a wet washcloth, that would be great.”

“Sure.”

Oliver sat up on the mattress and got up from the bed. He walked over to the bathroom, pushing his clothes out of the way with his feet as he had just dropped them in front of the end of the bed carelessly. He continued the way to the bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror. He looked as terrible as he felt, so he wasn’t surprised that Felicity had noticed that something was going on.

He splashed some cold water into his face, letting the waters run down his cheeks and drop from his chin to his chest, before he grabbed two washcloths. He wettened both of them with warm water. He threw one of them to Felicity, who caught it and started cleaning up the insides of her thighs. Oliver cleaned himself up too. He dropped the damp washcloth into the sink and walked back into the bedroom. Felicity had already made herself comfortable under the blanket, the washcloth dropped to the floor next to her carelessly.

With a brief look at his clothes, Oliver considered if it was better to get dressed and leave now. He doubted he was a good company, and he didn’t want to ruin Felicity’s day. It was bad enough that he felt his day was completely ruined. On the other hand, Oliver was absolutely not in the mood to go home and work through those papers.

Oliver crawled back into bed, pulling the blanket over his hips and staring at the ceiling. For a long moment, quiet filled the room. Felicity didn’t say anything either, but Oliver could feel her gaze on his face. He was proved right when he turned his head briefly to shoot Felicity a glance. She was indeed looking at him.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

Oliver sighed. “For ambushing you like that.”

“It’s not like I minded it. It was actually kind of nice.”

When Oliver turned his head to look at her, Felicity puckered her lips and shot him what he guessed was supposed to be a cute look. She did look kind of cute at least. With a mixture of a sigh and a chuckle, Oliver looked back at the ceiling again.

Several minutes passed. Despite the silence that had resettled, it wasn’t awkward though. The silence felt actually kind of comfortable. Oliver frowned at that realization. He wasn’t used to comfortable silence. For months now, silence, whoever he had shared it with, had felt awkward or forced. There had been too much tension with the people around him.

“So, do you want to tell me what’s wrong?” Felicity asked. “I know it’s a terrible cliché, but sometimes talking actually helps.”

Oliver sighed, continuing to look at the ceiling. If the ceilings in the loft weren’t so high, he would probably let someone paint a picture there right over the bed. He had spent so much time staring at the ceiling lately that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to look at something that was worth looking at.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Oliver replied eventually. “Is that bad?”

“No, of course not. I am just saying that if you need to talk to someone, you can talk to me. I am said to be a good listener.”

Oliver smiled for a moment before he turned onto his stomach. He looked at Felicity, who was comfortably stretched out next to him. One of her arms were resting under her head as she used it as a pillow. Her blonde hair was sprawled out over the pillow, surrounding her head like a halo.

“I think I just want to lie here for a moment.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe we can go for another round later.”

“I would like that,” Felicity replied. “I could use some break from work.”

“You were working from home?”

Felicity nodded. “Yes. Sometimes it’s better to think some things through here. I don’t get any phone calls. Nobody is stepping by when I am in the middle of some thought. When I need a break, I can always draw myself a bath or invite my handsome rebound over.”

Oliver chuckled. “I was thinking about going out for a run to release some tension, but then I figured that you would do a much better job at tiring me out.”

“And it’s so much more fun than running too.”

“I can’t disagree with that.”

While Oliver loved running of course sex was a lot more fun. There was nothing better than a mind-blowing orgasm. It was definitely his favorite kind of fun, especially when it wasn’t followed by some force conversations of how much you loved each other and needed each other.

Eventually, Felicity turned onto her stomach too. Her hand reached out for his back, and she started scratching it gently. Oliver closed his eyes for a moment and purred at the feeling. He loved back scratches. They made him feel comfortable and at home, more than any cuddles could do.

“Tell me something,” Oliver said with a sigh. “Just talk please.”

Felicity hummed, probably considering what to say. Oliver waited, keeping his eyes closed. He didn’t want to think. Listening to what Felicity had to say could be interesting. Maybe she even talked herself into one of those rambles that would make him smile and forget about anything else, for at least a moment.

“Sometimes, skipping a day in the office is really nice. I love dressing up. I love wearing dresses and high heels. I know it makes so no sense, but it makes me feel more confident if I know I am not only good at my job but looking somewhat okay while doing so. At the other hand, sweatpants are so much more comfortable than any dress. I love wearing comfortable clothes and spending some hours on the couch and, I don’t know, just relax a little from work. I love my work, but I know that I need to take a step back to relax sometimes.”

If taking a step back and relax a little, especially just at times, was everything he needed, he would be more than happy. It would mean that he’d love his job and just needed a little break whenever he was throwing himself into work too much. So many of his problems might be solved if he just loved his job or at least didn’t hate it as much as he did.

“I would like to skip a day at the office sometimes too,” Oliver said with a sigh, “preferably forever and not just the office but everything related to that new job.”

Oliver opened his eyes to find Felicity’s eyes on him already. She was looking at him with interest like he wanted to hear more but wouldn’t urge him to share what he wasn’t ready to tell her. It was another perk of their rebound relationship. They didn’t have to share things out of a feeling of guilt or obligation. They didn’t owe the other an explanation, but they could share whatever they wanted to.

“Why are you working for your father anyway?” Felicity asked. “You hate the work. It frustrates you. You shouldn’t work for your dad if that is the case. It makes no sense. It will just make the both of you miserable and your relationship even tenser.”

Oliver did hate the work. It did frustrate him. Just like Felicity, he believed he shouldn’t work for his father. He was even sure that their relationship would be better if Oliver wasn’t working at Queen Consolidated. He wouldn’t hate him as much as he did, and they might actually have a chance to work out all the things that had went wrong with them in the last years.

“It’s complicated.”

It was the worst explanation there was because it didn’t explain anything. It was all he could say though. He hadn’t told anyone what had really happened in his family, not even Helena or Tommy. He was sure that John had heard a lot since he was always close to him. He tried his best to act unaware of things happening around him though. Oliver was grateful about it. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to talk about any of it, especially with his friends.

Felicity just smiled at him. “It always is.”

Oliver was sure that she was right. Most of those stories were probably complicated. It was stories to talk about. As much as he didn’t want to talk about it, especially with friends who could have their own opinions, Oliver kind of knew that he’d feel better if he talked about it. Talking about it to Felicity seemed to be a bad idea though. If you shared something like this, it could change how the other person saw you.

For him and Felicity, that would be the end of their rebound relationship. He doubted that he was ready to risk what he had with Felicity. It was taking his mind off those problems whenever he was with her, or least it did when they had sex.

Yet, Oliver faltered. Felicity didn’t know the charming side his father could put up like Tommy or Helena did. She wouldn’t just brush his thoughts aside like they didn’t matter because Robert could be a nice guy when he wanted to be. In front of people that weren’t his closest family, he could act like the most wonderful husband, father and person in general. Felicity wouldn’t know that.

Still, opening up about what had happened seemed like a big step for them. Being rebounds probably meant more than just having sex and being friends in names. They had to really get to know each other, but they couldn’t slip into relationship-territory. It would ruin what they had which would be a shame. He liked what they had because it was uncomplicated and easy and exactly what he needed right now.

“We shouldn’t have a pillow talk,” Oliver whispered. “It’s against the rules, and we have broken so many rules already.”

Oliver sighed. If it wasn’t for the fact that this might end their rebound relationship, he might actually tell her. Felicity was someone he felt so utterly comfortable around that he was sure sharing the story with her wouldn’t be bad. It might change their relationship and end their rebound agreement, but it wouldn’t be a bad thing per se. He was actually sure that Felicity was understanding of his situation. Yet, he’d rather relinquish her perspective than ruining what they had.

Felicity watched his face closely, puckering her lips. When Oliver perked up his eyebrows, she grinned and reach out her hand. He actually thought she would rest her hand against his cheek and stroke her fingers through his short, scratchy stubble. Instead, she pulled the pillow away from under his head with a quick movement. Oliver’s head dropped to the mattress hard.

“Hey,” he complained. “What are you doing?”

“If there are no pillows, whatever you tell me can’t be considered a pillow talk,” Felicity replied matter-of-factly. She shrugged her shoulders. “Hence, we are not breaking any rules, and there is nothing against you telling me what is on your mind.”

Oliver puckered his lips for a moment. He felt an honest smile tugging at the corners of his lips, but he did his best to hide it. He didn’t want her to have a triumph like that easily, so he pulled the pillow out from under her head too. Felicity screwed up her nose. If she wanted it to look angry, Oliver had to disappoint her. She just looked cute, so he chuckled, and Felicity joined into it.

When they got quiet again, Oliver just looked at Felicity. He knew that a pillow talk didn’t really have to include any pillows. If he shared with her what was on his mind, they would break another rule. If neither of them particularly minded that, there was no reason him to reject her offer though.

“My entire family broke apart half a year ago.”

The words pained him more than Oliver had thought they would. As a kid, he had always believed that they were unbreakable and all of them would stick together no matter what. As an adult, of course he had noticed that there were tensions, but he hadn’t known how bad it had all been until everything had fallen apart.

Felicity was just looking at him, continuing to scratch his back without saying anything. She didn’t urge for him to continue. She just waited. He only said a sentence, but he was already sure that he had made the right choice telling Felicity.

“My father was working a lot which was always a problem with my mother. Maybe it was because she already knew that my father wasn’t spending the time in his office working all the time. He actually had an affair.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Oliver sighed. “When my sister and I found out, we all got into a terrible fight. It turned out that not only my dad was cheating though. Apparently, my mother wanted revenge or maybe she thought she just had the same right or whatever. Anyway, it turned out that she cheated on him too.”

“Double oh.”

Oliver chuckled. “Yes. Double oh.”

He took in a deep breath and sighed. He remembered the night still so very clearly. He and Thea had been out for a movie. When they had come back, their parents had been fighting in the hall of the mansion. It had been terribly ugly. If it had been up to him, he would have just backed out of the situation and left, so his parents didn’t even notice them. Thea had never been the type of person to avoid a confrontation though.

“After the fight, my sister moved to Italy to study fashion design, and my mom moved to England with her new boyfriend.” Oliver scrunched up his nose slightly. “She even got a wedding date set for later this year. I am not sure I will be going.”

Oliver didn’t know what to think about any of what had happened. His father had cheated on his mother, but his mother had also cheated on his father. He didn’t know if that had happened before or after she had found out about her husband’s unfaithfulness. Oliver didn’t even know if that made a difference. All he knew was that the situation sucked.

“Did you consider leaving?”

“More than considering it actually,” Oliver replied and sighed. “I had everything planned to move to Ivy Town. Tommy and I wanted to build a new club there. I would have been responsible for managing that, and Tommy would have been responsible for Verdant.”

Now, Tommy had Verdant and Oliver didn’t have anything except for his crappy job at Queen Consolidated. Managing his own club in Ivy Town would have been a lot more fun even if it meant moving to Ivy Town.

“What did Helena think about your plan?”

Oliver chuckled. “I think she hated it. She’s not the kind of person to live in a small town.”

Helena was a girl of big cities. Clubbing was her sports. Oliver was sure she’d be happily giving up on clubbing for a baby, but he doubted that she would have come after him like she had said she would. She had probably let go of the idea of being with him from the moment he had said that his future was no longer in Starling.

“Why didn’t you do it?”

Oliver sighed, feeling his stomach twist slightly at the memory. He took a few deep breaths until he was sure that he was okay and ready to talk about it.

“I wanted to talk to my dad one last time,” Oliver said. He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t even know why.”

Why would he want to talk to the man he blamed for their family falling apart, especially given how tense his relationship with his father had always been?

“Maybe because you wanted to get closure instead of just leaving.”

Oliver looked at Felicity with a smile. Despite better knowledge, he reached out his hand and stroked his fingertips over her soft skin. He enjoyed seeing the slight blush it caused to spread on her cheek.

“You just think too much good of me.”

Felicity smiled. “I like to see the good in people, and you seem like a good guy.”

Oliver liked to think he was a good guy, but he wasn’t sure that everyone saw it the same way. He had done a lot of things wrong.

“That night,” Oliver continued eventually, “my dad had a heart attack. I came to his office, and he was lying on the floor behind his desk. His head was all red, and his neck was swollen. I called an ambulance and started the cardiac massage. By the time the ambulance finally arrived, my clothes were soaked with sweat. I was so exhausted. They managed to revive him and took him to the hospital. When he woke up, he seemed so vulnerable. I couldn’t go.”

Oliver shook his head slightly. He shouldn’t have let himself being lulled in. It had been a terrible mistake. Once his father had been fit again, he had stopped his therapy against his doctor’s advice and had been back to the way he had been before his heart attack. Oliver’s hope that maybe his father would change given that near-death experience had been crushed. Nothing had changed. His father had only been harder on him.

“I should have left.”

He whispered the words and squeezed his eyes shut. His life was a mess. Everything was a mess. In Ivy Town, he could have started over. He could have had a life outside of his family. Instead, he had let his father’s vulnerable moment get under his skin and stayed.

“I’m sorry,” Felicity whispered and stroked her fingers though his hair. “I have my experience with bad dads, so I know how hard it is to let go and move on. You still have the choice to do so though. You have given your dad another chance. If he doesn’t use that, you are not obligated to stay, you know?”

Rationally, Oliver knew she was right. Just because he had decided to give his dad another chance, he couldn’t force him to stay here. It was just so hard to tell your parent that you were done if you had seen said parent so close to dying that you had actually wondered who you had to call to plan the funeral. He didn’t want his father to die. Despite everything, he still was his father.

“My dad used to be a good dad,” Oliver whispered eventually. “I was always more of a mama’s boy, but I did admire my father. I made a lot of mistakes in my youth, and my dad let me fool around a lot. He just grew so very hard eventually. His company is more important than anything, and that makes him unbearable when he is around me. He wants me as the family’s heir, no matter how little I like working there.”

For a long time, Oliver had wished that he was more like the son his father wished him to be. His life would probably be a lot easier if he liked wearing suits and wanted nothing more than to be the head of his father’s company. Spending most of his day behind a desk just wasn’t his thing. He hated it.

“What will you do about it?” Felicity asked.

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. All I know is that I don’t want my father to die.”

“Of course you don’t,” Felicity whispered. “You can’t give your father the power over your life or over you though.”

He looked at Felicity for a moment, seeing the honesty in her eyes. With Helena, a lot of times, he hadn’t been sure if she meant what she said or if she just wanted to avoid a deeper conversation or maybe even just push her own will through. Felicity seemed to be honest about her advice though.

“I know that you are right,” Oliver whispered. His voice was low as if he didn’t dare to speak it out loud because it would make it only truer. If the thought had reached his head once, it would be impossible for him to shake it off. “I just don’t know how to do that.”

“For me it’s easy. I don’t have any contact to my dad at all.”

“Why?”

“He left.” Felicity shrugged her shoulders, but he could see in his eyes that it wasn’t as easy for him. “He just packed his stuff and was gone. My mom and I have never heard from him again. So, maybe I am not the best person to give an advice.”

“I’d still like to hear your advice though.”

Again, Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “I loved my dad, so I always wanted to prove to him that I was worthy of being his daughter. Even after he was gone, a lot of the things I did, I did with the thought of making him proud. Eventually, I realized that I had to do things for myself. I banned him from my thoughts.”

It sounded so easy when Felicity said that. He had often thought to himself that he should just stop letting his father’s near-death experience to get under his skin. He always failed to just forget about it and move on with his life though.

“I don’t know if I can do this.”

Felicity smiled, scratching her fingernails over his back once more before she leaned over and kissed his cheek. It was a gentle, friendly kiss. Oliver closed his eyes at the feeling of her soft lips against his scratchy stubble.

“You can do this. You just need time.”

Oliver let her words sink in. He wished that they were true and there really was a chance for him to find that strength in him with some time. He just wasn’t sure, and he was scared of the consequences if he didn’t make it. What would be do? Spent the rest of his life at Queen Consolidated with a job he utterly hated? How was he ever going to be happy?

With a deep sigh, Oliver opened his eyes to look at Felicity. He felt so weirdly comfortable around her. She was the only one he had ever really talked with about the night his father had had a heart attack. He just knew he could trust her with all of this. Despite not knowing her for long or well, he knew he could trust her.

Oliver’s chuckle eventually broke the silence in the room. He rubbed his hands over his face.

“We are so bad with the rules.”

Felicity joined into his chuckle.

“It’s because we are friends.” After a moment, she frowned and looked at him. “Are we friends?”

Oliver nodded. “Absolutely.”

He usually didn’t make friends easily, at least not the good type of friends. During those nights are Verdant or any other club, he had made friends. It had always been shallow friendships though. There hadn’t been any deep conversations or anything like that. There had just been nights of partying. His only real friends were Tommy and John, and, at least with Tommy, it was hard to have a good conversation with lately.

“Friends and rebounds,” Felicity said, nodding to herself. “I think it’s a good mixture.”

With that, Felicity reached her arms out over her head and stretched herself. Her back arched off the mattress. Her breasts lifted towards the ceiling. It made the blanket slip down to her hips, so her chest was bare. Before Felicity could pull the blanket back up, Oliver quickly rolled over her. All the talk had only made him hungry for more – more pleasure of his own as well as making Felicity feel more pleasure. He wanted her, and he wanted her to want him just as much.

Felicity’s eyes sparkled when she opened her eyes. She smiled, wrapping her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck. Oliver lowered his head a little, nuzzling her nose with his.

“It seems like talking got you back in the right mood for another round.”

“Maybe,” Oliver replied. “Let’s see.”

He let his lips hover over hers. When Felicity tried to capture his lips in a gentle kiss though, he moved down the bed a little and wrapped his lips around her nipple. Felicity gasped for breath, making Oliver grin. The next round could start.


	7. Rule 11: No unprofessionalism during work

Sipping at her coffee, Felicity checked the notes she had taken about Robert Queen during a through and not completely legal research she had done about him. She tried to memorize as much of this as possible. While she wasn’t too fond of small talk, almost hated it to be honest, she knew that it could be the key to a good partnership nonetheless. Besides, she liked to know who she was dealing with since she just didn’t trust people easily.  The more she knew about a person beforehand, the easier it was to get involved with a person in whatever way.

For a brief second, Oliver crossed Felicity’s mind. It was different with him. She didn’t mind that she barely knew anything about him. Yet, she felt comfortable whenever she was with him. It was the physical intimacy that was slowly added with some emotional connection that made this possible. For some reason, Felicity just trusted Oliver.

As quickly at the thought came, as quickly Felicity pushed it away again. Now was not the time to think about Oliver. She had to focus and thinking about her rebound relationship that still kind of confused her in some ways was only distracting. Felicity directed her eyes back to the notes.

Robert Queen had been born in 1958. He had founded Queen Consolidated at the age of twenty-three years and had served as CEO ever since. Over the years, the company had expanded all over the world. There still was a subsidiary in Moscow. The one in Prague had been shut down two years ago during a particularly rocky time in the company’s history following some changes in the leadership. The company was better again now, thanks to Robert Queen’s persistence. He was said to be a tough cookie. Yet, what the company was lacking was innovative ideas. These last years, the company had lived from the network it had built over year, but it only keeping their heads over the water, not making them swim.

Felicity frowned and shook her head slightly. She knew all those things very well. She had gone through them endless times before she had decided to reach out to Queen Consolidated for the project she had planned. Smoak Technologies had built up a new department that was focused on medical engineering. It was the second area they were specialized on after cyber security which was Felicity’s personal special area. Their newest project was to find a way to improve protheses. It was a big thing that she knew a lot of companies had failed to do before. For that not to happen to Smoak Technologies, she needed a strong partner.

Queen Consolidated could be just the one she needed. They had the experience with such great projects and so many connections that could help the work. It was something a young company like Smoak Technologies that was still in it’s baby shoes couldn’t have built yet. They needed a more experienced company to help building a network of their own.

Anyway, what Felicity needed to remember where the personal things she had found out about Robert Queen. He loved golf, boats and women. The latter had cost him his marriage, or at least that was what the rumors said had ended it. He was still living in the family mansion, alone now. He had two children, but they had both moved out. Apparently, he didn’t even have contact to his daughter anymore.

Those were the things Felicity had to remember if she didn’t want to embarrass herself. She knew that she was always one breath away from putting her foot in her mouth. It seemed to be something that was just in her DNA as her mother was just the same way. Unlike her, Felicity minded doing so though.

Felicity took the last sip of her coffee and took in a deep breath, closing her eyes. She had prepared well for this. She got this.

“Ms. Smoak?”

When Felicity opened her eyes, she saw Gerry standing in the door with a polite smile. She relinquished on telling her assistant that he should call her Felicity. She had done so uncountable times over the years, and he had never followed her request. He was just too comfortable following the rules of politeness. Felicity didn’t mind as long as Gerry felt better that way.

“Yes, Gerry?”

“Mr. Queen and his son is here.”

_Mr. Queen and his son._ The words were repeated in her mind again and again. When she had talked to Robert Queen on the phone, he hadn’t mentioned bringing his son. Actually, Felicity was pretty sure she had read that he was more interested in clubbing and other things. She hadn’t intensified her research on him too much since she had thought that she only needed shallow information on Robert Queen. Nobody had told her that his son, whose name Felicity couldn’t even remember, was going to be present too.

Felicity tried not to falter too long, but she was sure at least three seconds passed before she was able to answer. “Alright. Please show them in.”

While Gerry was heading out to ask the two men in, Felicity quickly put her notes about Robert Queen into the topmost drawer of her desk and got up. Taking in a deep breath, she smoothed the wrinkles from her dress. She knew she had got this.

“Ms. Smoak is already waiting for you. Please step in.”

Felicity lifted her eyes, smiling towards Robert Queen, who was just now stepping into her office with long steps. She stepped around her desk towards him, already reaching out her hand to greet him.

“Mr. Queen, nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Ms. Smoak. I have followed your work thoroughly since you came to Starling City.” He smiled politely though he was looking her up and down unobtrusively. “I am looking forward to working with you. That is, if you and my son can agree on the terms of cooperation.”

“Oh, I am not negotiating those with you?” Felicity asked.

“No, I asked my son to do so,” Robert replied. He turned his head back over his shoulder. “Oliver.”

Felicity would have chuckled about the coincidence that her possible new partner’s son carried the same name as the man she was sleeping with regularly now. It would have been an awkward moment if that chuckle had actually left her lips. It died in her throat when the man she guessed had to be Oliver Queen was stepping into the room. It turned out the sharing of the same name was not as much of a coincidence as she had thought because it was hardly a coincidence when it was the same person.

Her breath got caught in her throat. She could feel heat rising to her cheeks and spreading all the way down her neck to the top of her chest. Oliver seemed to be just as surprised or even shocked as she was. He stared at her with wide eyes, unmoving.

Asking a few more things about him would have probably been better. Maybe that way, she would have known that their life paths had been bound to cross professionally. She hadn’t asked for his surname or for his job though because she had thought that knowing too much about him would make it harder to keep their boundaries. She had known that it was stupid since they had shared much more intimate stories with each other. She just hadn’t known how bad her decision had really been until now. She guessed you were always smarter later.

Now, they had to deal with this situation in some way that hopefully wouldn’t screw this whole project over before it had even had the chance to start. Luckily, Oliver seemed to get to the same conclusion because they took a step towards one another at the same time, shaking their hands.

“Felicity Smoak,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oliver Queen. The pleasure is all mine.”

They shook hands and smiled at each other politely. As soon as their hands let go of one another, they both took a step back though. Felicity guessed Oliver felt just as uncomfortable about the situation as she did. Given that he didn’t even like the job, Felicity wasn’t surprised.

“So, we will discuss the project together and negotiate the conditions of our company’s collaboration?”

Oliver looked up from his shoes and smiled at her tensely, nodding his head. “Yes.”

“Oliver just joined the company,” Robert explained, clapping his son’s back. It might have looked like an encouraging gesture but knowing the incidences that had led to Oliver working at Queen Consolidated, she knew better. “I felt it was time for him to become part of the real world which includes a good job. Don’t be too hard on him though. He has never done this before.”

Felicity smiled forcedly. By now, she knew exactly what Robert Queen was doing here. He was trying to make his son look like a fool by putting him in charge of negotiations that he simply wasn’t fit to be in charge of. Like he had just said, his son had just started working at the company, so he had little to no experience in this field of work.

At the same time, Felicity was sure that Robert had done some research about her like she had about him. He knew that she wasn’t one to cut back easily in negotiations. She was standing her ground because she knew what Smoak Technologies had to offer. Just because she was a young blonde who had grown up in Las Vegas with a mother who was working as a sparsely dressed cocktail waitress who had struggled to afford rent, she wasn’t feeling inferior when talking to other people in the business.

“I am sure we will be able to find a common ground,” Felicity said.

“I hope so,” Robert Queen replied. He shot his son an intent look before he turned to Felicity once more. “I will leave you two alone now. My son will keep me updated on the progress you will make.”

“Of course.” Felicity nodded briefly. “Thank you for coming by. Gerry will see you out.”

“Goodbye, Ms. Smoak.”

Felicity smiled at Robert Queen for a moment longer. As soon as he turned towards the door, her smile fell though. Tension spread in the room as Oliver and Felicity were left alone. Neither of them said a word. Instead, they held their breaths and listened to the steps in the hallway that told them that Oliver’s father was leaving.

As soon as the tinkling sound told them that the elevator doors had closed, Oliver opened his lips to speak. Felicity shook her head briefly, making him shut up before he could say anything. She walked past him to the door and closed it, letting the venetians on the glass walls towards the out office down like she always did when she was in an appointment that she didn’t want to be distracted during.

Taking in a deep breath, she leaned back against the windows, keeping her hands behind her back. She looked at Oliver, who still seemed to be just as uncomfortable as she was. He had his hands pushed into the pockets of his pants and his shoulders hunched. His eyes were filled with something Felicity wasn’t sure how to call, sadness maybe with a little bit of embarrassment. He only held her gaze for a moment though. He soon lowered his eyes, looking even sadder and more worried than before.

Felicity felt sorry for him. Even from the short moment with his father, she could tell that their relationship was tense. Robert Queen didn’t seem to be the kind of man to accept defeat, and the way he had tried to show his son in a bad light already made her understand why that was the case. She couldn’t feel comfortable around him either if she was Oliver.

Felicity was part of this now was probably as uncomfortable for Oliver as it was for her. Their rebound relationship had been working so well because they were just meeting for sex. They weren’t involved in each other’s life too much, so they could even talk openly without being worried that the other wasn’t going to share their opinions and was trying to offer advice that wasn’t welcomed. Given their professional entanglement, this was different now. It wasn’t that clearly separated anymore.

“Before we talk about anything else,” Felicity said, making him look back at her again, “I want to establish an eleventh rule.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows, but he nodded. “Okay.”

“No unprofessionalism during work.”

She said it firmly, making sure there was no doubt that she meant it. The situation with them working together was complicated enough. Mixing work and private fun was never a good idea. As long as they still made that separation as much as possible, Felicity assumed they were safe from any too bad consequences.

Oliver nodded. “Agreed.”

“Good.” Felicity released a breath and walked over to Oliver slowly. “We are friends or on our way to becoming friends at least. We have our fun. Work can’t be thrown into it, at least not like that. I don’t want to end what we have, but I don’t want to mix it with work either. If we don’t manage to separate that, we will never be able to make our rebound relationship work.”

“Alright.” Again, Oliver nodded. He soon chuckled dryly and moved his hand through his short hair though. “It’s not like we will work together for long anyway. We both know that I have no ideas what I am doing here.”

Felicity didn’t reply to that immediately. She just looked at Oliver, watching his eyes fill with frustration. He puckered his lips and shook his head slightly. When he moved his fingers through his hair he seemed to be struggling with whether or not he should tear his hair out.

“I could help you figuring it out if you want to,” Felicity suggested. “I mean I could teach you everything you need to know for this job.”

Oliver looked at her without showing any reaction for a long moment before he frowned. His eyes narrowed as he looked her up and down. Of course he was confused, but, at least to Felicity, he almost looked skeptical of her offer. Felicity guessed that he wasn’t used to being offered any help lately.

“Why would you help me?”

The ghost of a smile flashed over Felicity’s face. It looked like she had been right. Oliver didn’t see why she would help him. After being left alone by his mother and sister and his friend not really understanding the depth of his frustration, Felicity guessed it was normal to be a little suspicious if someone offered help, especially if it was someone who would benefit from his failure.

“Because I know what it’s like if someone who is supposed to teach you something is putting you in an uncomfortable situation to make you feel inferior,” Felicity said, “and I don’t want to be part in making you feel that way about yourself.”

Interest sparked in Oliver’s eyes at her words. He looked at her intently like he thought he could just read what she meant with it in her face. Felicity looked away and walked past him towards her desk. She leaned down against it and held onto the edge of the top od the desk. When she lifted her gaze, Oliver was still looking at her.

“Of course I could use this situation to prove how good I am at my work by throwing you under the bus and try to get the most of this deal,” Felicity told him when he just continued looking at her. “I don’t want to do that though.”

“Because we are friends and rebounds?”

“That’s part of it, yes.” Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “The other part is that I have experienced it myself.”

Felicity didn’t expand on it. Oliver’s eyes never left her face. He looked at her intently, waiting for her to explain it. With a quiet sigh, Felicity gave in. After everything Oliver had told her about his family, she knew she could tell him this too. It would only be fair if she did. A balance in power such as knowledge about private things about the other was an important part of why their rebound relationship worked.

“After I graduated at MIT, the first company that I worked for was Kord Industries here in Starling,” Felicity explained. “Ted Kord was always a great teacher. He offered chances that were challenging but were meant for me to grow instead of feeling like a failure. When he fell ill and his son took over, things changed though. I don’t know if he felt threatened by me or if he just liked to demonstrate his power as my new boss. Anyway, when Kord Industries scored a major deal with L-Corp, he told me to negotiate the terms of the collaboration. I told him that I had never done that before, and I would need some coaching. He refused to offer any support though. He just threw me under the bus.”

Felicity lowered her eyes, thinking about how helpless she had felt back then. She had wanted to impress her new boss, but she had known that she stood no chance. Besides, she had been impressed and intimidated by her negotiating partner which hadn’t made it any easier.

Looking back, Felicity knew that she had grown from this decision. She was feeling a lot more confident about herself now. She knew she was good at what she was doing. It had taken a lot of learning and many successes for her to feel as comfortable and as confident about her role as boss as she was now.

“What happened?” Oliver asked. “What did you do?”

“I went into that office at L-Corp, knowing that I stood no chance,” Felicity replied, remembering the heavy feeling in her stomach she had had that day. “I stepped into that office, knowing I stood no chance. The game was lost before it even started, at least that was my expectation.”

“But?” Oliver frowned though there was the ghost of a smile showing on his lips as if he could feel that her story would take a turn. “What happened?”

Felicity smiled. “Lena happened.”

She would never forget meeting Lena Luthor for the first time. It had changed her whole life. They had been so similar to one another, and it was the first time Felicity had met someone she could really relate too because their lives were so similar. She wouldn’t be where she was now if it hadn’t been for Lena.

“Lena knew that I was being thrown under the bus with being forced to negotiate the contract with her. There was actually a similar scene between Ted junior, Lena and me like there had been with your father and us.” Felicity smiled reverently. “Lena was so angry with Kord junior. She didn’t want to be instrumentalized in any way, especially not to put a mutual woman, smart and single-minded, down.”

Lena, just like Felicity, had been put down by her father a few times too much. For a long time, all she had wanted was to prove to her father that she was good enough to take his place at the company. She had felt like she had to compete for it with her brother. It had taken some time until she had realized that she was better than both of them, her father and her brother, and she had finally been able to create her own way through life.

“She offered to teach me everything I needed to know to gain some more experience until I could start my own business like I always wanted to.” Felicity smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “I agreed to her offer and learned more about business than I did through any of the hundred books I have read about it before. Kord junior looked like the dumbest idiot when Lena and I presented the results of our negotiations because it was better than he would have expected even if he had negotiated it himself.”

Lena was a close friend to Felicity since the day she had first stepped into her office. They were both busy and living on different sides of the country. Hence, there hadn’t been much time to see each other lately. They still had long phone calls whenever possible though.

“Why didn’t you collaborate for this project with her?”

“L-Corp had no resources for a new project right now,” Felicity explained, “and sometimes it’s good to leave the comfortableness of your safe spot to reach out into the unknown a little bit. That way, you can make yourself a bigger name.”

“So, you decided on my dad?”

“He was the only possibility.” Felicity shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Anyway, since you are part of the club for people with disappointing dads, I feel it’s only fair if you get to benefit from our support system too. So, what do you say? Do you want to show your dad that you can handle stuff like this although you would have never chosen to work for him? I can tell from my own experience that the expression on his face will be worth it.”

Oliver smiled with slight amusement like he could already imagine the expression on his father’s face when he told him the results of the negotiation and would be able to understand a lot more than his father trusted him with. Felicity knew that his motivation would be simply messing with his father since he didn’t like the work at all. Sometimes, that was all that was possible though. She had always felt the same way about sports as she had never been fit, at least not as long as she had been in school. She had been a little uncoordinated, clumsy even. Books didn’t teach you to run longer and faster, at least not in practice.

“So, what would that look like?” Oliver asked. “You helping me with this?”

“Well, I’d suggest that we meet daily if possible. After our work days are over we meet here or at either of our places,” Felicity replied. “I will teach you everything you need to know about this field of work, so a lot of business stuff and the basis of technology. You need at least an overview of how things work to make reasonable decisions.”

Felicity knew a lot about technology. She still developed software from time to time or at least improved versions her employees had developed. She didn’t have as much time to develop codes on her own anymore. She was too busy with all the work that was piling up on her desk every day. Still, she took the time to go back to the Applied Science Division at least every other week. She had wanted to have her own company because she had wanted to be a beacon of hope. Doing deskwork belonged to it, but it wasn’t everything. She knew too well that the decisions made of people who only saw costs and profits would never make a real change. They didn’t care about innovations. They just cared for money.

“And the negotiations for this project?”

“In ten days, fitting for the party your dad is throwing, we will tell him that we agreed on the terms of collaboration. The contract will be fair, so it will benefit both of us. There will be better conditions than your father probably trusts you to agree on, but it won’t be too nice either. We don’t want your dad to be suspicious of us working together. Besides, I can’t afford to earn myself a bad reputation as someone who’s easy to lose foot in negotiations.”

Oliver nodded. “Sounds fair, more than fair actually. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“No doubt.”

Oliver smiled warmly and approached her. Stepping in front of her, he held out his hand, and Felicity shook it. They had made another agreement. It was something they were really good at it seemed.

When their hands loosened touch, Felicity gestured at the small sitting area in the front of her office. “Now, let’s get started.”

They did indeed lose no time and got started immediately. Sitting next to each other on the couch, Felicity made Oliver familiar with the basics of the work he would be confronted with as long as he was working for his father. She didn’t know if she was a good teacher, but at least Oliver listened closely. He nodded along to most of what she said and just interrupted her every now and then when he had a question. It was intense and exhausting, but it seemed successful.

Felicity was just about to lead over to the next topic when Oliver slumped back into the cushions with a sigh and rubbed his hands over his face. Only now Felicity realized how exhausted he looked. Dark shadows had appeared under his eyes, and the small wrinkles around the corners of his eyes looked deeper now.

Felicity shot a brief glance at her watch. “It’s already past midnight.”

Oliver lowered his hands from his face and perked up his eyebrows. “What? You didn’t realize that?”

“No.” Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “I love my work. I always lose track of time and sense for anything else when I am working which means that I am usually the one who’s the most euphoric about my work. It’s great for me but annoying for everyone else.”

Oliver turned his head towards her, looking at Felicity with a soft smile on his lips. Felicity mimicked his position, leaning back into the backrest of the leather couch and looking back at Oliver. She was smiling too.

“I don’t think it’s annoying,” Oliver whispered, his voice as soft as his smile. “I think it’s impressive. I wish I would have ever been that euphoric about my work. I haven’t been at Verdant, and I don’t think I ever will be here.”

Felicity reached out her hand and stroked her fingers through Oliver’s short stubble. She felt sorry for him. She knew that her work was her anchor in life. If everything went downhill, her work always grounded her. Working made her happy which made her life so much easier than the lives of people who were just stumbling through their workday, counting down the hours until they could go back home.

“Maybe you should find out what really makes you happy then,” Felicity told him. “I believe everyone has some interest that they could turn into a job.”

Oliver sighed. “And what’s that supposed to be?”

“I don’t know. It’s something only you can know.”

The answer didn’t seem to make Oliver happy. A deep furrow built between his eyebrows. It didn’t let itself be smoothed out even when Felicity stroked her thumb over it.

“You will find it out eventually.”

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. They just looked at each other, enjoying the calm between them. It was comfortable despite the intimacy.

Eventually, Oliver put his hand to her knee under the hem of her dress. His fingers spread on her skin, and the thin silk tights did nothing to keep his warmth away. Goosebumps spread on her thighs. If the slow movement of his thumb against her thigh was any indication, it didn’t go unnoticed by him too.

Felicity lifted her gaze, and their eyes locked. A tingling feeling spread in Felicity’s stomach. Her tongue moved out to wet her lips. Oliver’s eyes followed the movement before he locked eyes with her again. They both leaned in at the same time, letting their lips meet in a chaste and gentle kiss. It didn’t last long. They both smiled when their lips parted.

“So, is there any way for me to thank you for all of this?” Oliver asked.

His fingers moved on her thighs slowly, indicating an idea how to thank her. Felicity could feel her center starting to prickle at the thought. Having sex would be just the right way to end her day. She could use it to relax after this stressful day. She wanted to separate between work and sex though which meant no sex at her workplace. Besides, there was some better way Oliver could thank her.

“Just promise me that you will show the same act of kindness to someone else one day, not necessarily like this, about work I mean. Just teach someone who’s in need something that you know.”

Lena had done this for her. Now she was doing it for Oliver. Maybe, Oliver could do it for someone else one day. Changing the world was hard. It felt impossible. Little acts of kindness could help contributing to making the world just a little bit better though. At least that was what Felicity wanted to believe.

Oliver nodded, squeezing her thigh. “Alright. I will.”

Felicity put her hand on Oliver’s and squeezed it, smiling gratefully. That he would try was all that she needed to hear. She knew there would be enough opportunities for him to do so if he just looked.

“So, your father is quite… interesting.”

Slowly, Oliver turned his eyes back towards her. He looked at her for a moment like he didn’t believe what she had just said. Then they both started chuckling.

“He is terrible, isn’t he?”

“Well, he is definitely quite hard on you.”

Oliver sighed. “Tommy thinks he just wants what’s best for me, but I am not so sure about that.”

“If he really just wants what’s best for you, he definitely doesn’t know what is best for you.”

“Finally, someone who thinks the same way I do,” Oliver said, looking at the ceiling like he was talking to a greater entity in heaven. “Thank you.”

Felicity chuckled, patting his thigh. “You’re welcome.”

“Now, if you could just tell my dad about that when you see him the next time at that party he mentioned for example. You are coming there too, right?”

“Of course.”

“I guess that means there is at least one person I can talk to.” Oliver sighed, moving his hand through his hair that was completely tousled by now. “I suspect Helena will be there too.”

“So will Ray.”

“With his fiancée?”

“Probably.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not that bad actually. I actually think the breakup might have been the best that has happened to me and- Ow!” Felicity held her side where Oliver had pinched her and looked at him with angry eyes. “What are you doing?”

“You are not allowed to get over Ray yet,” Oliver told her. “I am not interested in looking for another rebound yet.”

“I wasn’t implying that I wanted our little rebound relationship to end anyway,” Felicity told him and pinched him back, making Oliver cry out too. “Don’t pinch me again.”

“Don’t pinch me again.”

He tried to pay her back and pinch her once more. Felicity slapped his hands away though. A little playful fight started that ended with a tickling attack on her. Felicity tried to push Oliver away, laughing and kicking around. His body only urged closer to hers though, covering her with his weight and keeping her down on the couch.

“Say you surrender.”

“No!” Felicity had trouble getting the word out since she was laughing too hard. “Never!”

Oliver tickled her even more. Felicity did her best to hold on. She didn’t want to grant Oliver the victory of surrendering. Soon, her ribs were aching and she was unable to continue any longer without feeling like she was about to stop breathing.

“Okay, I surrender!” she called out. “I surrender! I surrender!”

Finally, Oliver stopped tickling her. His hands moved away from her ribs. His body stayed pressed against hers though. His lips were only a breath away. His nose touched her slightly whenever he took in a breath. Their eyes were locked onto each other.

Only a few seconds passed before they both started moving. Felicity lifted her head off the couch at the same time Oliver lowered his head. Their lips met in a kiss. Their tongue danced together, moving in perfect sync. When Oliver scratched his front teeth against her bottom lip, Felicity sighed. Her fingers moved from his shoulders down to the front of his shirt. He had already taken off his suit jacket and tie, so the shirt was the first piece of clothing that came in her way. She started unbuttoning it without hesitation.

“What happened with our new rule?”

Oliver asked the question with his lips moving against hers. He rubbed his hips against hers. The zipper of his pants pressed to her clit in just the right way. Moaning quietly, Felicity arched her back. Oliver moved his hand to the back of her neck, angling her head back a little, so he could move his tongue over the roof of her mouth.

“Work is over,” Felicity told him. “Now it’s playtime. I don’t care about anything else.”

“Good. As long as we keep our sixth rule alive it’s fine because my father will kill me otherwise. QC needs that project and- Let’s forget about work.”

Oliver’s voice was amazingly hoarse as he said that. Felicity didn’t have much time to enjoy that though. Oliver’s lips were already covering his again. His tongue was invading her mouth. His hips continued pushing against hers. It was all she needed and more. She felt hot and cold at the same time. She was panting but felt breathless. She wanted to continue like this and already wanted more.

Her hips were meeting Oliver’s in a quick rhythm, trying to give back as good as she got from him. She could feel him harden in his pants, increasing the friction for her. She was already wet, her panties damp from her arousal. They hadn’t made out for long, but Felicity already wanted Oliver. She really wanted him.

Felicity stroked her fingers from the back of his head to his front again. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and dropped it to the floor before she grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away. Oliver propped himself up on his hands, looking at her with a slight frown. He was just as out of breath as she was. His lips were red and slightly swollen from kissing.

“Condoms are in my purse on the desk.”

At those words, Oliver’s frown disappeared. Desire sparkled in his eyes. He pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and watched her. His eyes drifted from her face down over her long neck to the top of her chest that was heaving wildly. He lifted a hand and stroked his forefinger from her collarbone down to the neckline of her dress and pulled it down a little between the valley of her breasts. A deep red color spread where he touched her.

Instead of continuing to explore her chest, Oliver pushed his arms under her back and pulled her against his chest. When he sat up, pulling her onto his lap, Felicity slipped out of her high heels and wrapped her legs around his hips. The hem of her dress slid up her thighs, stopping right under her ass. Her already sensitive opening pressed right down onto Oliver’s cock. It made a moan escape her lips. Oliver swallowed it eagerly.

Tightening his arms around her waist, he got up from the couch and walked them over to the desk. He sat Felicity down on the edge of it and leaned back a little, breaking the kiss. Not looking away from her, he grabbed her purse and handed it over to her. Felicity smiled because it was wonderfully sweet of him not to just look for them himself.

Within five seconds, Felicity pulled a foil package out. She dropped her purse to the floor and lifted the condom. Oliver took it from her, grinning with anticipation. Felicity could already feel her channel pulsing with need for him. Her walls were clamping down on emptiness, longing to have him fill her.

Oliver stepped back closer to her, stepping between her legs. Felicity already straightened up to meet his lips in a hungry kiss. Oliver made sure his lips wouldn’t touch hers though. He lifted his chin, moving them out of her reach. Felicity frowned a little angrily because her lips were aching to kiss Oliver. He just grinned in response though.

After a moment, he put his hand to her ankle and slowly move his fingers up her leg over her calf to her thighs and finally the hips. His fingers slipped under the waistband of her tights and lowered them. Felicity pushed her hands onto the desk, lifting her hips, so Oliver could pull the fabric down her legs and off her body. After he had dropped the tights, he grabbed her ankles and slowly moved his hands back up her legs to her hips again. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties and pulled them down too.

Felicity felt like her body had been set on fire. Wherever Oliver’s fingers brushed against her skin, it burnt. Waves of heat streamed through her body, making her heartbeat quicken and her breath getting caught in her throat. She wanted Oliver, and she needed him too.

When Oliver stepped back closer to her, Felicity tried kissing him once more. Again, Oliver made sure she didn’t get to reach his lips though. Felicity was about to complain when an amused grin spread on Oliver’s lips. His hands took hold of her hips, his fingers digging into her skin. With a quick movement that made Felicity gasp for breath, he pulled he off the desk and turned her around. His chest pressed to her back, and his cock rubbed against her behind.

“Oh god.”

Felicity arched her back, pressing his butt even more against Oliver’s cock. The anticipation was tearing her apart. She could barely breathe anymore. She needed to feel him inside of her, needed to have him thrust in and out of her in a rapid rhythm.

Oliver seemed to feel her need. He moved his hands from her hips to her back and gently pushed her down until she was leaning over her desk, propped up onto her forearms. He stroked his fingers back down her back then, his touch firm as he seemed to be trying to massage some of the tension out of her muscles. He pushed the hem of her dress over her butt towards her waist. She heard him unbuckle his belt before there was the promising sound of a zipper being lowered. The foil package rustled when he ripped it open to take the condom out.

Silence settled. Felicity held her breath, waiting for any sound of any movement. Oliver stayed just as quiet as she was though. He didn’t speak. He didn’t move. Felicity could hear her own heartbeat, and it was all she could focus on. The rapid beating of her heart seemed to be the only sound there was, the pulsating movements of her inner walls the only movement.

When she groaned in frustration, Oliver took hold of her hips and pushed inside of her with one quick movement. Felicity gasped for breath, holding onto the edge of the desk for support. Her legs were threatening to give in, but she made sure to keep grounded while she slowly adjusted to the feeling of having him inside of her. He was long and thick, filling her completely. It surprised her every time he entered her.

Soon, he started thrusting. His hips started out with a slow rhythm. He pulled almost all the way out until only the tip of his cock was still left inside of her. He paused before he pushed back inside eventually. Felicity bit down on her bottom lip, holding back her moans to focus on how Oliver was moving behind her instead.

Several minutes passed with him moving oh-so-slowly before Oliver’s thrust grew quicker. He didn’t pull out all the way anymore. He just thrust out slightly before thrusting back in already. He pushed in and out her repeatedly, chasing his pleasure while giving her hers. Both of their breathings got quicker. They were panting wildly, needing more air and not getting it. At least that was what it felt like to Felicity. She was trying to take deep breaths, but she only got to suck in some air before she already had to release it again.

“Oliver.”

She moaned out his name when his hips slapped against her butt particularly firmly, his cock rubbing against her g-spot in just the right way and causing her legs to wobble even more than they had already. The sound of his hips slapping against her butt filled the air. His cock reached even deeper inside of her, stimulating her inner walls to a point that it was almost painful. It was all fast, but Felicity didn’t mind. She needed it hard and fast, and she didn’t want it any other way.

Felicity was gasping for breath again and again now. Her chest felt tight, her lungs unable to take in any breath. Oliver just leaned over her, covering her back with his body. His right hand let go of her hip and moved between her legs. He found her clit and started rubbing against it repeatedly.

It was just what Felicity needed. It wasn’t a mind-blowing orgasm. She wasn’t taken by surprise. Yet, the pleasure rushed through her veins and filled her body with content. All stress that had piled up inside of her during the day fell away.

Only a couple of thrusts later, Oliver came too. Felicity could feel his cock twitching inside of her when he spilled into the condom. It made another little orgasm rush through her body.

Oliver’s chest pressed down against her back more, making her body press down onto the top of the desk completely. She tried to catch her breath, but it was easier said than done. That was why they stayed there like that, bent over her desk with their bodies pressed together, for quite some time. Their hearts were beating in the same quick rhythm.

This was what they had both needed. It was still working. Despite working together, nothing had changed.

Felicity smiled to herself, whispering so quietly that not even Oliver could hear her, “Thank God.”


	8. Rule 6: No involving family

_Please don’t let my titties fall out._

It was the only thing she could think of while she was stepping into the foyer of the Queens’ mansion. All week she had been excited to see how Oliver had grown up. She had no eyes for the interior of the mansion though. All she could focus on were there slight movements of her breasts with every step she took.

When Robert Queen had invited her to his annual spring party, she had gone crazy about what to wear. She had been in this business for several years now, but she had never gotten used to those formal occasions. She didn’t like small talk. She couldn’t dance. She didn’t even like most of that expensive food that was served there, and she never knew what to wear.

For the party today, she had decided on a dark green dress that was embroidered with thousands of paillettes which made the dress look like it was sparkling. The skirt was playing around her curves softly. A high slit that reached to the middle of her thighs allowed her to show her legs when she walked. The deep V-neckline on the front and the back of the dress looked wonderful. Unfortunately, she couldn’t say that it felt the same way. Despite the tape that was supposed to keep the dress in place, the fear that everyone on that party would get to see her breasts increased with every step she took.

Felicity could feel her fingers itching with the urge to lift her hands and tug the fabric a little closer together on the front. Since she stepped into what she guessed was usually the living area of the mansion just then, she resisted that urge though. She was sure that it wasn’t going to make a good impression if everyone saw her trying to desperately cover her breasts.

Deciding that it was probably best to distract herself, Felicity grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and stepped further into the living area. There was a lot of dark wood which didn’t surprise Felicity for some reason that she wasn’t exactly sure of. Classical music was playing. Despite the large doors to the terrace being open, a sweet smell of some room scent was in the air.

It was all nice and elegant, just like Felicity had assumed it would be, but it wasn’t exactly extraordinary or imaginative. At least to her it was clear that the room had been set up by someone who didn’t know the advantages of the house. It was impersonal.

Felicity tried to imagine a young Oliver in here, but she was unable to. This just didn’t look like the environment for a child to grow up in, at least not a child of this century or the one before that. It was too dark and didn’t look child-friendly at all. It was hard to tell with all the people and the setup for the party though.

Fact was that the way he lived now, in the light-flooded and modern loft, was the complete contrast of this. If she had studied psychology like she had considered for at least five seconds when she had been eight years old, she might be reading things into that now. Because she had decided to study computer science and cyber security, she just noticed that it was a somewhat interesting contrast how Oliver was living now opposed to the way he had grown up, especially given his tense relationship with his father.

Felicity shook that thought off quickly. She had no right to ask herself that. That was coming to Oliver’s house was only because his father had invited her. She couldn’t and didn’t even want to use that to analyze that. It was not what friends did, and she did consider him a friend.

These past days, they had worked together a lot, and they had had a lot of dirty sex in her office and at their homes too. They had worked on that contract. She had taught Oliver the basics of leading a company. Whenever there had been a little break or they had decided to call it a day, they had ripped their clothes off.

She felt heat rising to her cheeks and spreading in her center at that thought and quickly took a sip of her champagne. Now was not the time to think about that. Here was not the place to think about that. It was highly inappropriate and also annoying given that she couldn’t act on her desire, at least not yet.

Puckering her lips, Felicity looked around to look for a familiar face. She really didn’t want to talk to anyone right now, but she couldn’t stand here all alone either. People would think she was awkward. As the head of a still expanding company, she couldn’t afford for other people to think she was awkward, especially not for the people she worked with.

Felicity was still looking for a familiar face between all the unknown ones when she caught a movement to her right. She turned her head and regretted it immediately when she realized that the person approaching her was Ray. He looked handsome in his suit with the bowtie. His dark hair had been brushed to the side neatly which was a new look on him. Felicity doubted that it had been his own idea. It had probably been the idea of the pretty woman that was clinging to his arm, her left hand resting against his forearm to show off the engagement ring with the big diamond stone. Anna had always been the kind of girl that fitted into a room like this perfectly.

Admittedly, seeing Ray and his fiancée was the last she needed for this evening. Since she couldn’t just steal herself away and the two of them were approaching her unerringly, Felicity knew that she had no choice but to face them. At least once they had chatted for five minutes, she had gotten over with it and could focus on something else for the rest of the evening.

“Felicity, how nice to see you again.”

Felicity put on a smile. She wasn’t the type of woman to make a scene. She hadn’t made a scene when she and Ray had broken up. She wouldn’t make a scene now. It would only do good to his ego and shed a bad light on her. Besides, she might have been angry and disappointed about the break-up, but she didn’t really care anymore. They were done, and that was fine. She had needed the break-up to see that.

“I’d say I am surprised you are in Starling City, but that would be a lie since I knew you were invited,” Felicity said.

Her voice had sounded maybe a little bit too sharp, but Felicity didn’t care. After how Ray had ended things with her, she felt like she had the right to be a little bit sharp in tone. While Ray was still looking at her, unsure of what to say, Felicity turned to look at Anna.

“Have you ever been to Starling City before, Anna?”

Felicity realized a beat too late that the question was stupid. She was sure that Anna had been to Starling before to see Ray when he had still been with Felicity. Now that the question as out, she couldn’t take it back without making the situation even more uncomfortable though. Anna had the decency to at least look a little embarrassed.

“I have been to an advanced training here three months ago,” she replied after a moment. She shot Ray a brief glance like she was begging him for help, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Starling City is a nice place to live I guess.”

“It is,” Felicity confirmed.

“And it’s a great starting point for a successful career,” Ray added. “Robert Queen told me that you are currently negotiating the conditions for a joint project with Queen Consolidated?”

“His son, Oliver Queen, and I did, yes.” Felicity nodded. “We will sign the papers by the start of next week and can get our work started.”

Ray smiled warmly. “I am happy for you. I know how much it means to you. You have tried to drive forth this project for quite some time. It’s a good feeling to have you conquer.”

Felicity smiled though she wasn’t feeling like it. She knew she was biased because of her past with Ray, but something about the way he said this bothered her a little. It almost sounded a little bit like he hadn’t thought she would make it. Ray had always encouraged her work, but a moment like this showed that he didn’t trust her to be as good as he was. At least for Felicity that was what it felt like.

“Thank you,” she said nonetheless, trying not to sound to sourly. “That’s very nice of you.”

Ray smiled as if she had complimented him, probably relieved that the conversation seemed to go the way they had hoped for. He shot Anna a nervous glance. She shrugged her shoulders, barely visibly. Her hand grabbed the engagement ring, turning it until the diamond was in the inside.

“And what’s new in your life?”

“Well, Anna and I set a wedding date for April,” Ray told her. “We haven’t told anyone yet, but I think it’s only fair to tell you before we tell the press next week.”

He looked at her quietly, nodding slowly. Felicity knew that he probably expected an answer whatever that answer would look like. She took the time to think about it thoroughly, and she was surprised when she came to an answer quickly.

“I am really happy for you.”

The words had surprised her when they had popped up in her mind. They didn’t surprise her now that she said them out loud.

She was really happy for Ray. Their relationship hadn’t worked out. Felicity wasn’t even sure if she really liked Ray as a human being, but he was probably a good or at least an okay person if that was even a word. Felicity knew, now more than ever, that they just weren’t good for each other. He had been in love with Anna all this time, and Felicity had probably been in love with the idea of Ray rather than Ray himself.

“Really, I hope you two will be happy together.”

“That’s very generous of you to say.” Ray smiled. “I know you have no reason to wish us happiness, so it means a lot to me or to us that you-“

“Ms. Smoak.”

Felicity felt her stomach flutter. She turned her head to look at where the voice had come from. Even before she saw him stepping next to her, a smile spread on her face. It only widened when she saw Oliver next to her.

He was wearing a tuxedo with bowtie and even suspenders as she could see given that he had one hand pushed into the pocket of his pants which caused his suit jacket to build a little bump that allowed her to see beneath the fabric. His hair had been cut a little, his stubble cropped. He looked a little lost with his glass of champagne, but he smiled in that warm way Felicity enjoyed so much. It was probably good enough to cover how he was really feeling, at least in front of people who didn’t really know him.

“Mr. Queen, I am happy to see you again.”

Oliver’s eyes sparkled slightly at the way she said his name. She had noticed that it always happened when she called him _Mr. Queen_. He might have a thing for that.

Before she could expand on that thought, Oliver put a hand to her back. His warm fingers brushed against the exposed skin there, making goosebumps run all the way down her back. He leaned down and leaned his cheek against hers, kissing the air. He lingered there a little longer than necessary, moving his cheek against hers slightly.

When he leaned back, he smiled at her warmly. Felicity smiled back, unable not to. She felt incredibly comfortable having him around.

Soon, Oliver turned around to Ray and Anna. His smiled was different now that he looked at them, but it was still there. “Mr. Palmer and Ms. Loring if I am not wrong?”

“You are right,” Ray replied. He held out his hand for Oliver. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

Oliver shook Ray’s and Anna’s hand. When he pulled his hand back, there was a short second that Felicity believed he’d put his hand back to her back. Instead, he pushed it back into the pocket of his pants.

“Your father told me that you helped setting up Verdant. I have been there before and-“

“I am so sorry, but I actually don’t have much time,” Oliver interrupted Ray nonchalantly, “and I actually have to apologize once more because my father asked me to steal Ms. Smoak from you.”

Ray looked at Oliver with slightly narrowed eyes. That expression disappeared from his face as quickly as it had come. He lifted his hands with an amused chuckle.

“It’s all fine,” he said. “Felicity is all yours.”

His eyes met Felicity’s for a heartbeat too long after he had said it like he wanted to say more than he had actually said. If he had meant to expand on it, he didn’t get the chance though. Oliver put his arm around her waist loosely, resting his hand on her hip and led her away.

“I am sorry it took me so long,” Oliver whispered, leaning his head down so close that his lips were brushing against her ear as he spoke. “Helena distracted me from coming here sooner.”

Felicity took a brief look around, trying to find Oliver’s ex-girlfriend in the crowds. She was nosy to get another look at her. That night at Verdant, it had been too dark to see her clearly. Her thing with Oliver hadn’t been anywhere close to the way it was now, so she hadn’t been too interested in finding out who the beautiful brunette was either. She had just been a girl fighting with a guy that Felicity had had a great one-night-stand with in a moment of weakness.

“Where is she?”

“At the bar,” Oliver replied without hesitating. “The girl in the red dress.”

Felicity glanced in that direction. She tired not to look at her for too long, especially since the brunette’s eyes seemed to be glued to Oliver. She was looking at him with an intense expression in her sharp, brown eyes. She was beautiful, even more beautiful than Felicity had remembered, and she looked like the sexiest version of dangerous there was, a femme fatal on the hunt for her next victim.

Shaking her head slightly, Felicity looked at Oliver again. “I wouldn’t have needed saving by the way. I was able to handle the situation. Ray told me he and Anna are getting married in April. They are losing no time.”

“I’m sorry.”

Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not a big deal. I am actually kind of happy for them since- ow!”

Felicity had trouble not to cry out loud when Oliver pinched her ribs firmly. She didn’t want to call any attention on them. Frowning in mild anger, she looked at him, rubbing her hand over her aching side at the same time.

“Why did you do this?”

“We talked about this,” he whispered to her. “You have to still mourn your relationship with Ray. I don’t want to find another rebound.”

Felicity chuckled, shaking her head. She enjoyed kidding around with Oliver. Their first meetings when they had had sex without talking to each other much had been intense. Spending time with Oliver like this, just messing around and having some fun, kept them grounded. Well, it kept her grounded at least.

“Well, if that is the case, then it was terrible and I am eternally grateful that you came to save me,” she said dramatically, putting her hand on her heart. “What would I do without you?”

“Now, that sounds a lot better.”

Oliver shot her a brief glance, and they both started chuckling. They tried not to be too loud as this party didn’t seem to be the place to have fun and enjoy some fun. Everyone was looking serious, and their chuckle did actually earn them some side glances. Felicity felt heart rising to her cheeks at that, but she did her best not to think about it too long.

“Did you already show your dad the contract we worked out?”

Felicity knew that Oliver had updated his father on the negotiations regularly. As of yesterday, when they had put the finishing touches to the contracts, Oliver hadn’t shown it to his dad yet. Thought there would be little to nothing new in there for Robert Queen to see, Felicity knew it was always different to see things like black on white. Seeing the final product would set things in stone which means Robert Queen would finally have to congratulate his son on his successful first contract negotiations.

“I did show him.”

Oliver sighed, making Felicity guess that it hadn’t had the reaction they had hoped for. With what Felicity knew about Oliver’s relationship with his father, she guessed she shouldn’t be surprised.

“That bad, huh?”

“No, it was actually what I expected.”

Oliver sighed once more. His lifted his hand, about to move his fingers through his hair. He decided against it though, probably realizing that it would only mess up his neatly gelled hair. He played with his bowtie for a second instead. Felicity gave him the time he needed.

Eventually, Oliver cleared his throat. “At first, he didn’t believe me. He thought I was trying to trick you into signing fake contracts.”

“Like I would let myself be tricked.” Felicity rolled her eyes. When she noticed Oliver’s gaze on her face, she added quickly, “Not that you would try that in the first place of course.”

Oliver smirked slightly, but it only lasted a moment. With a sigh, he lowered his eyes to his feet. He shrugged his shoulders when he looked at her again.

“When he realized that the contract was real, and all he needed was to sign that damn thing, he thought I had charmed my way to the deal.” The corner of Oliver’s mouth twitched to a half-hearted smile. “He is happy about the results though, so thank you for that and for helping me. I learned a lot from you, much more than I learned from following my dad around the company all this time.”

“You are welcome,” Felicity replied honestly. “You know, you are a lot smarter than you probably believe yourself. You learned pretty quickly.”

“Well, I still don’t feel like I know enough to make any big decisions, but at least I got through the shallow business talk of the evening so far.”

Felicity smiled and wanted to add something more, but she caught sight of Robert Queen just then. He was standing at the fireplace, a glass of champagne in his hand, and talked to the mayor. As soon as he saw her and Oliver approaching, he excused himself and stepped towards them though.

“Ms. Smoak.” He took her hand and shook it firmly. “I am happy we get a chance to talk. I am happy all three of us get to talk. I think we should raise our glasses to the contracts.”

“Absolutely,” Felicity agreed. She raised her glass first, saying, “Here’s to our collaboration that will hopefully have an innovative outcome.”

“Here’s to our companies working together,” Robert added.

All three of them clinked their glasses and took some sips of the expensive champagne. Felicity didn’t miss the way Robert looked from Oliver to Felicity and back at his son while he was letting the prickly drink run down his throat.

“Now, if you allow me the question, what made you agree to that contract?” Robert asked as soon he had swallowed. “I was surprised to see that the conditions were much more positive for Queen Consolidated than I would have expected.”

Robert looked at Felicity intently like he thought he could just read the answer to his question in her face. From the corner of her eyes, Felicity could see Oliver lowering his gaze and pushing his tongue against his cheek. The situation with Robert talking about Oliver like that while he was standing right beside them was uncomfortable not only for Oliver but also for Felicity. Even if she and Oliver had really just worked together on those negotiations, Felicity would still feel uncomfortable about it.

“That almost sounds like you don’t trust your son to do good work,” Felicity said, “which I hope is not the case because what would that say about the way you are treating business partners-to-be.”

Felicity could see Oliver lifting his gaze and staring at her with almost disbelieve like he didn’t trust himself that she had actually just said that. She couldn’t confirm it for him though as her eyes stayed on Robert’s. Something was glinting in his eyes, but he also looked a little taken aback. Felicity doubted that he was used to being called out on his questionable behavior.

“Oliver is just very new to all of this,” Robert said eventually, catching himself a heartbeat too late to make it sound honest. “I am very happy to see that he was able to prove himself competent with the task I asked him to take.”

Prove himself or prove to Robert, Felicity wondered. She decided to keep that questions unvoiced though just like she decided not to look at Oliver in this moment. As much as she wanted to shoot him a comforting smile, she knew that it would be too suspicious. She didn’t want Robert to know that she and Oliver got along a lot better than they probably should, so she couldn’t push her luck more than she already was.

“I would love to talk to you for longer,” Robert said a moment later, “but I have a lot of guests, and there are some partners that traveled all the way from Moscow. I don’t get a chance to talk to them often.”

“Of course,” Felicity replied, actually glad that their conversation would be cut short. “I am sure we will get more chances to speak in the next months.”

“Yes, absolutely,” Robert agreed with a nod of his head. He looked at his son, and immediately the expression in his eyes grew stricter. “Oliver, I would like to introduce you to some people, and I also promised Mr. Bertinelli that we would-“

“Oh, Oliver would love to be introduced to some more people, but Oliver promised me a dance.” She quickly grabbed Oliver’s hand. “He will come and catch up with you later. I promise.”

Without waiting for Robert to reply or to even just get over his shock, Felicity led Oliver away. With large steps, she walked over to the dance floor where some couples were swaying to the slow music already. They handed their empty glasses to one of the waiters on the way.

When she turned back towards Oliver, she saw him grinning widely. It made her falter and frown for a moment, but Oliver just wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in. His fingers moved over the exposed skin at her back while they were starting to sway to the music too. Their eyes met, and Oliver’s grin only widened.

“What?” Felicity asked, chuckling slightly.

Oliver shook his head, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “I never saw anyone answering back to my dad like that.”

“Well, he should get used to it then,” Felicity replied, “because I don’t like the way he is acting towards me or towards you. I wanted to keep quiet about it for five seconds. Then I realized that it’s just not like me to not speak up when there is injustice like that. I don’t like parents like him who think they can decide about their child’s life and order them around. I don’t like to be treated like a child or used for any educational measures either. I am not going to stay silent about it.”

The smile on Oliver’s lips grew warmer. His fingers expanded on her back and spread warmth all over her skin. Felicity smiled back at him, enjoying the feeling of warmth. This might be the first time she was enjoying an occasion like this. She felt tempted to rest her head against his shoulder and close her eyes for a moment since she felt incredibly fired. With so many people around, Felicity just knew it wasn’t a good idea.

“I guess my dad will have to prepare for some turmoil then.”

“He does.” Felicity nodded. “On the other hand, he could just be a little nicer to people around him. That would actually be enough for me. I just don’t like people who act all friendly but are actually kind of not-so-friendly at all because it shows that they know they are doing wrong, but they just don’t care.”

Oliver nodded slowly. His lifted his gaze, looking over her head to something at the other side of the room, or maybe he wasn’t looking at anything at all. The expression in his eyes was unfocused like he wasn’t looking at anything at all. His eyes narrowed slightly, making Felicity wonder what he was thinking about.

“I guess my dad thinks it’s better to keep me on a short leash.”

“That’s what it sounded like, yes.”

“And I guess he wants to push me back towards Helena.”

Felicity perked up her eyebrows, feeling her heart sink for a reason she wasn’t sure about. She ignored the slight stitching of her heart.

“What makes you think that?”

“The way he mentioned to me that he invited Helena and her dad to the party,” Oliver replied, shrugging his shoulders, “and saying he wanted me to talk to her father, Mr. Bertinelli. I just think he still had hopes that Helena and I will get back together. If we get married, I might calm down and become his true heir.”

He said the last two words with a chuckle, but it didn’t reach his eyes. It sounded ancient to call the son the true heir, but Felicity was sure that a lot of families still felt that way. Lena Luthor had once told her that his parents had been congratulated for the birth of the _son and heir_ when her brother had been born. To Felicity, it just sounded ridiculous.

“Do you think that would have been true?” Felicity asked. “You would have taken a different route in your professional life if you had gotten married to her?”

“I doubt it,” Oliver replied. He shook his head. “I don’t even think that it would have been a life Helena would have agreed on. She likes partying. She liked presenting herself. She likes to be the center of attention. What my dad has been looking for in a wife for himself and probably for me now is someone who is a great eye-candy but doesn’t speak until she is asked to and focuses on family and charity. He is looking for someone to keep small.”

Felicity screwed up her nose. “There are still women like that?”

“I doubt it,” Oliver replied with a chuckle, “which is why he is single.”

Felicity chuckled too, unable not to. When her eyes met Oliver’s again, the expression in his eyes was intense. Felicity perked up her eyebrows, and Oliver tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her in a little closer. Her heart skipped a beat before it started racing in her chest. If the slight twitching of Oliver’s lips was any indication, he didn’t miss that.

More time passed, and they just continued swaying to the music. Felicity waited for Oliver to tell her what that smile on his face meant. He just continued look at her though.

“What?” Felicity asked when she couldn’t bear it anymore.

“Nice dress,” Oliver whispered, his voice so low that only Felicity could hear. His fingers moved on her back slightly, moving just a tiny little bit southward. “Very daring.”

Felicity felt heat rising to her cheeks. She had completely forgotten about the dress. From his position, she was sure Oliver had a great view down her neckline.

“I thought this place could use some sexiness,” Felicity said lightly, doing her best to hide her insecurities.

“It definitely does,” Oliver agreed. “I fear a few of my dad’s older friends are close to having a heart attack at the sight.”

“But not you?”

“Of course not me. We both know I have seen much more of you.”

Felicity bit down on the inside of her cheek, willing her center to stop prickling with need the way it did. Taking a brief look around, she straightened up to get her lips closer to Oliver’s ear.

“There is a good chance I let you take it off.”

Lust glinted in Oliver’s eyes. He wetted his lips, causing Felicity to almost whimper a little bit in need. She held back any sound that threatened to fall from her lips though.

“Your quotation?”

The corner of Felicity’s lips twitched. It looked like they were talking business now.

“I will leave at midnight. If you are at my place in time, you are allowed to take it off.”

Oliver puckered his lips for a moment. His eyes drifted down her long neck and over her chest to the neckline of her dress again. Felicity remembered his lips taking the same path on her skin more than once. A deep blush crept over her skin, following his eyes.

“Counteroffer,” Oliver suggested.

Felicity perked up her eyebrows and lifted her chin a little, nodding her head. “Okay.”

“You leave at twelve-thirty and go to my place where I will already be waiting for you after I excused myself with a headache.”

“Hm.”

Felicity puckered her lips, pretending to be thinking about his offer hard.

“The loft is closer than your townhouse,” Oliver argued. “I also have that wonderful shower you love so much and even more of your favorite wine.”

“And that’s all it took to convince me.”

Oliver chuckled. “Good.”

When he turned his gaze to something behind her, Felicity followed his eyes. Robert was standing not far away, talking to a small group of men. Every once in a while, he shot Oliver an urging glance that was probably supposed to tell him that he should come and join him.

“I have to go,” Oliver said with a sigh.

“That’s alright. I should mingle with the crowd anyway,” Felicity said. She stopped dancing and took a step back. “It was nice to make business with you, Mr. Queen.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure, Ms. Smoak.”

Oliver walked past her, that special glint in his eyes that was always there when she called him _Mr. Queen_. Felicity stayed where she was on the dance floor, looking after him for a moment, before she turned to leave too. She grabbed a glass of champagne from the next waiter and took some sips.

It was going to be Oliver’s pleasure as much as it was going to be hers.

 

* * * * *

 

She woke up to the soft feeling of Oliver’s lips on her shoulder. His stubble was tickling her soft skin. His warm body was pressing to her back, covering her much smaller figure completely without resting too much weight on top of her. His morning wood was pressing against her butt cheeks, resting between them hot and hard.

Rolling her lips into her mouth, Felicity pushed her face into the pillow. She had to suppress a content sigh when Oliver continued peppering her skin with sweet, little kisses. Felicity stretched out her legs a little, making herself even more comfortable, while she was just enjoying Oliver’s gentle treatment.

Since their pillow talk a few weeks ago, they had stayed overnight a few times. There had never been a rule against that, so Felicity knew it was actually no big deal. Still, she felt like neither of them had actually considered staying overnight an option when they had agreed on becoming rebounds for each other.

When Oliver shifted his weight a bit, his hips pressed even more against her buttocks. His cock slid between her folds, and Felicity wasn’t even surprised to realize that she was already wet and ready to have him thrust in. A choked moan escaped her lips, but it was muffled from the pillow her face was still pressed into.

Oliver continued kissing her back while his hips were establishing a slow rhythm of thrusting against her butt. The shaft of his cock pressed against her folds every time. Sometimes, when he thrust particularly hard, the tip of his cock even rubbed against her clit.

Felicity realized that she was still sore from last night. They had met at Oliver’s loft just like they had planned. By the time Felicity had arrived, Oliver had already taken off the jacket of his tuxedo. The bowtie had hung around his neck loosely. He had still worn his suspenders and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt though. It had been incredibly sexy.

Hence, it had only taken her five seconds to jump Oliver. They had had a first round of sex against the door, unable to wait any longer. Neither of them had lost many clothes. They had just gotten rid of her shoes, silk tights and panties just like Oliver’s shoes, socks, pants and boxer briefs. Then they had gone at it without holding back the slightest bit. Oliver had just trapped her between his body and the door and taken her.

Once they had finished, they had gone upstairs. Oliver had finally gotten to take off her dress. He had taken his time, first lowering the zipper and then sliding the straps down her shoulders. There had been a slightly awkward moment when she had had to take off the tape that had kept the dress in place. It had actually hurt slightly.

The moment of awkwardness had passed soon though as they had both giggled, unable to contain themselves. Eventually, they had started kissing again and it had been enough to stir the fire of passion once more. They had ended up in bed, having hungry sex once more before they had both fallen asleep.

Only thinking about the night before made Felicity’s need to feel Oliver back inside of her stronger. She didn’t know if Oliver had thought back to the night before of if he had just lain awake and imagined all the things he would do with her once she had woken up already. Anyway, he seemed to be just as eager to move things along as Felicity was.

His rocking movements stopped. With a last kiss to Felicity’s neck, he put his hands to the mattress next to her and propped himself up onto his arms. With held breath, Felicity heard him open the drawer of his nightstand. There was a quiet rustle. Felicity guessed that was when he opened the foil package. She caught her bottom lip between her front teeth. She was impatiently waiting for more.

For a long moment, nothing happened. Eventually, Oliver lowered his weight on top of her body again. His fingers moved from her shoulder blade down her back and over her butt to her folds. He dripped them into her opening a little bit, and Felicity almost believed he could hear her chuckle when she moaned out and tried to lift her butt towards him.

She knew that he loved to tease her. A lot of times, their sex was just needy. They met and went at it like they were starving the pleasure and starving each other. Sometimes, when they had more time, especially during their second rounds, they took their time though. Oliver loved to tease her then.

Now was none of those times though. Instead, Oliver just seemed to test her wetness to make sure she was ready. As soon as he had noticed how ready she was for him, he lowered himself back on top of her, grabbed hold of his cock and positioned himself at her entrance. The tip of his cock bumped against her opening without entering her.

Felicity held her breath once more. Her stomach was tingling from anticipation. Her fingers tightened in the pillow. Her teeth buried even more into her bottom lip.

Finally, Oliver pushed inside of her, and it made a long, strangled moan fall from Felicity’s lips. She knew that, by now, she should have gotten used to how perfectly he fit inside of her. Still, the was he stretched her walls and seemed to reach so deep inside of her still surprised her every time. That first thrust already seemed to be able to set her nerve endings on fire.

Oliver set for a slow but firm rhythm. He pulled out almost all the way before he pushed back in. The sound of his hips meeting her butt echoed through the room. It was a great sound, one that just sounded like sex and made her want it all the more. Mingled with her moans and Oliver’s grunts that filled the room soon, it was just perfect.

Heat was spreading in every fiber of Felicity’s body. The even rhythm of Oliver’s movements made her breath hitch every time he pushed back inside of her. She soon realized that continuing to breathe into the pillow wasn’t doing any good. It was quite the opposite actually. The warmth of her breath seemed to pool in the tiny spaces between the pillow and her face. Breathing into anything didn’t make it any easier to make the used air escape her lungs either.

Hence, Felicity turned her head. Her cheek was not resting on the pillow. She was able to breathe more freely. It made her moans sound through the room louder. Even her breathing that was already getting erratic could be heard as her pleasure increased. Her hand tightened in the fabric of the pillow even more at the same time.

Oliver pushed her hair off her back and shoulders to the pillow and lowered his lips. They were exploring her soft skin, kissing and sucking. His tongue darted out sometimes, brushing against her skin too. His stubble scratched and tickled her at the same time which was a great mixture.

Soon, Oliver’s movements grew quicker. He pushed in and out of her more quickly. His lips started sucking at the back of her neck.

Felicity moaned out. It felt so great. It was amazing. Every cell of her being was focused on Oliver’s movements, only following how he moved on top of her and inside of her and how wonderful it made her feel. Her body moved on own accord, just answering to the thrusts of his hips.

When Oliver’s hips shifted slightly, the angle of penetration changing, his cock rubbed against that sensitive spot inside of her that made her muscles tense more and more with every time he thrust into her. Her moans were growing quieter and quieter until her desperate breathing was making it impossible to make any sounds. Felicity’s panting filled the room, mingling with the sound of skin slapping together. She was meeting his thrusts with her own movements, chasing her release the way Oliver seemed to chase his with his erratic thrusts.

Her pleasure seemed to rise and rise. She was pushed closer to the edge every time he thrust back inside. Yet, she seemed to be unable to let loose and fall off the edge. Her pleasure just seemed to become more, burning all through her body and making it feel like it had been set on fire. It was wonderful and painful at the same time.

Oliver seemed to notice her struggle because he pushed his hand between her body and the mattress. His fingers found her clit only a moment later, and he rubbed it with quick, precise movements.

It was all Felicity needed to fall over the edge. She came with a long, soundless moan falling from her lips. Her body started spasming. Her core pulsated around Oliver’s cock, and it seemed to be all he needed to come too. With the mixture of a groan and a growl, he pushed into her once more. His hips stuttered, and his entire body tensed when he spilled into the condom.

As the peak of their pleasure slowly ceased, Felicity’s muscles relaxed. She sunk into the mattress, even more so when Oliver almost like collapsed on top of her. His body pressed hers into the mattress. Some strands of her hair got caught in his stubble. It tickled slightly when Oliver moved his cheek against her spine, pulling at some of her hairs as he did so.

They both lay like that, trying to catch their breaths. Oliver was still inside of her. Only when he rolled himself of her back with a kiss to the nape of her neck, he slipped out of her. Both of them groaned lowly at the loss.

Felicity pushed her arms under the pillow and turned her head to look at Oliver. He was lying on his back, his chest still heaving. He was looking at the ceiling with a huge smile on his lips and slowly moved his fingers through his hair. After a moment, he turned onto his side and looked at her though.

“Morning.”

“Oh, what a morning,” Felicity replied, making them both chuckle.

They lay like that in silence for a while. Slowly, their breathing calmed down and their bodies recovered from the exhaustion as well as from the pleasure. With a long yawn, Felicity stretched out her arms and legs. Her muscles felt deliciously sore, just like her core.

“I will go brush my teeth.”

With another yawn, Felicity rolled out of bed and walked towards the bathroom. She knew that Oliver was watching her every move, enjoying seeing her in all her naked glory, so she walked particularly slowly. Her hips swayed just a little bit more than necessary, and she leaned over the sink when she put some toothpaste to her toothbrush. That way, her butt was in the best light. Oliver didn’t miss that if the expression in his eyes that Felicity could see in the mirror was any indication.

Soon, Oliver joined her. He tossed the used condom into the wastebin. Just like during their first scheduled hook-up, they were brushing teeth side by side.

Once they were finished, Oliver stepped in front of Felicity. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her naked body against his. Felicity smiled, enjoying the play of his muscles against her soft skin.

“Now, I can wish you a good morning the way I should.”

Felicity perked up her eyebrows. “I thought you already did.”

“That,” Oliver said slowly and leaned his face down to hers, so the tip of his nose was bumping against hers slightly, “was just a foretaste.”

Felicity wanted to tell him how much that sounded like music to her ears. Just when she opened her lips, Oliver was already stroking his tongue into her mouth though. Felicity moaned in pleasure, straightening up onto the tips of her toes and pressing back against him. She was just as eager for more as Oliver was.

When he started walking her backwards into the shower cabin, Felicity wrapped her legs around his hips, opening herself up to him already. This was going already shaping to be the best morning she had had in a long time.

 

* * * * *

 

Felicity took a sip from the godlike coffee, watching the dough sizzling in the pan. It wasn’t the first time she had spent here overnight, but it was the first time Oliver was making her breakfast. The pancake was already smelling so wonderful that Felicity felt her mouth water.

“I have to admit that, when you told me that you could cook, I wasn’t sure if I could actually believe you,” Felicity said. “This looks delicious though.”

Oliver smiled. He stepped away from the stove and in front of her. He brushed his fingertips against the soft skin of her thighs that was exposed due to the fact that she was just wearing one of his shirts and her panties. Goosebumps spread all over her legs at his touch. Looking at Oliver over the rim of her coffee mug, she saw that his pupils were dilated. His tongue darted out, wetting his lips.

It shouldn’t be possible to be so greedy when it came to sex, but Felicity was. She had had three amazing orgasms today already, and yet she already wanted more. Seeing Oliver, especially now that all he was wearing were his sweatpants that were hanging low around his hips, just made her want more.

Leaning in slowly, Oliver brushed his lips against Felicity’s. It was a chaste kiss at first, just a touch of their lips. It was as light as a feather. It made her greediness grow nonetheless though. She loosened a hand from her mug and lifted it. Moving it into Oliver’s hair, she grabbed a handful of it and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss.

“Felicity.”

He moaned her name against her lips in a hoarse whisper. Taking hold of her hips, he pulled her closer to the edge of the counter. Her center pressed right against his cock that was still soft. She could feel him twitch when she rubbed herself against him, eager to move things forwards.

Just when his hands pushed up the hem of the shirt she was wearing, a knock at the door made them stop. They stayed close, their lips still pressed together. They didn’t move though, waiting for something to happen. A second knock at the door made them pull apart with a sigh.

“We could ignore it,” Oliver suggested, not letting go of her hips, “and just continue where we’ve been stopped.”

There was another knock at the door. Felicity shot a look towards it, frowning slightly. It wasn’t even ten in the morning yet. Who was this persistent so early in the morning? Even before Felicity got an answer, there was another knock. Someone really was persistent.

“I doubt whoever there is will leave anytime soon,” Felicity said. When her stomach grumbled, she put her hand to it and chuckled. “Besides, I am kind of starving. I could use this pancake.”

“Better take it off the stove then, or it will burn,” Oliver said. He pecked her lips. “I will go answer the door and put off whoever there is.”

Felicity chuckled and looked after him for a moment before she jumped off the counter and turned to the stove. She pulled the pan off the hot plate and lifted it to her nose. This was really smelling delicious. It would also bring her some energy that she would need for her next opportunity to jump Oliver.

“I am sorry. I am not interested in-“

When Oliver stopped right after he had opened the door, Felicity perked up her eyebrows and turned her head to see what was going on. She couldn’t see who was there though because Oliver hurried to close the door at least enough to block her view or maybe block the visitor’s view. It only made her frown more though.

“Dad.”

Felicity’s heart dropped into her stomach where it seemed to jump around wildly, bumping against her organs and creating a terrible chaos in there. She looked around in panic, trying to find somewhere she could hide. Before she got to do so, the situation at the door seemed to escalate though.

“What are you- Dad!”

Grabbing the hem of the shirt she wore, Felicity quickly pulled the fabric down to cover more of her naked legs when Robert Queen simply pushed past his son and into the loft. His alerted eyes met Felicity’s, and she could see an angry sparkle there. He stopped in the middle of the room, looking back and forth between Felicity and Oliver, who was still standing by the door.

“I knew it.”

He didn’t say anything more. He just said that, still looking incredibly angry.

“What are you doing here, Dad?”

Oliver closed the door and crossed the distance towards them. He stepped next to Felicity behind the kitchen counter, but he stayed like the length of an arm away from her. It was what probably counted as a decent distance.

“I was already guessing that something was going on here,” Robert said, his voice strict. “That deal was way better than anything you could have worked out.”

He sparkled at Oliver angrily. Felicity felt a weird need to protect him, but she bit down on her tongue and swallowed down whatever words she could taste on her tongue. Meanwhile, Oliver lifted his chin and pushed his shoulders back a little like he was ready to fight his father.

“You are not taking this job serious. You are never taking anything serious,” Robert continued. “I told you how important this project was and that we couldn’t make any mistakes. Yet, you go around and-“

“This is none of your business,” Oliver interrupted his father firmly the moment he lifted his hand and gestured towards Felicity. “You have no right to come in here and-“

“This could hurt our family’s company.”

“You mean your company,” Oliver replied, “that I never wanted to work for in the first place.”

“It is time for you to take responsibility.” Roberts stepped closer to the other side of the counter and hit his palm on the top of it. “You cannot continue playing around. It’s time for you to grow up, Oliver. I thought that getting you involved with the company would be a right way, but you are only continuing to messing up and-“

“Oliver is not messing up anything,” Felicity said eventually, not able to stay quiet any longer. “To be honest, I am not even sure the deal would have been made without him. The fact that you tried to use me to prove a point to your son did not exactly make me see a good business partner in you. If I had negotiated the terms with you, I would have definitely been harder.”

Robert looked at her with the same kind of aversion against her feisty behavior that she had seen last night already.

“And with all due respect, Mr. Queen,” Felicity added though the words burned in her throat, “me sleeping with your son is none of your business.”

For a split second, Felicity thought Robert Queen was going to burst like a balloon that had been filled with too much air. His face was read. His breathing faltered. His hand on the top of the counter was tightened to a fist.

After a long minute, Robert turned to Oliver. He pointed his finger at his son and stared at him angrily.

“We will talk about this.”

Without saying another word or waiting for him to reply, Robert stormed to the door and left. He slammed the door shut behind him so loudly that Felicity actually flinched a little. The silence that took over right after the loud bang wasn’t any more relaxing either. It made the same amount of adrenaline rush through her veins.

Once more Felicity realized that she really didn’t like Robert Queen. The way he behaved around his son was just so disrespectful. She could only hope, for Oliver and for Robert himself, that he would manage to get a hold on his temper and see the good in his son soon. Otherwise, he would ruin their relationship forever. Maybe he had done so already.

“The pancake looks yummy.”

Felicity’s voice sounded small and quiet in the wide room, not nearly as lightly as she had hoped for. Yet, it seemed to be all Oliver needed to snap out of the frozen state he seemed to have been caught in. He chuckled briefly and turned to the pancake. Angling the pan towards him, he looked at the piece of breakfast that was in the pan, already cold.

“It’s ruined,” he said with a sigh.

Felicity watched Oliver walking over to the trash and threw the pancake away. He stepped back in front of the stove and put some new dough into the pan. His gaze stayed down, and he didn’t say anything.

“What are we going to do now?” Felicity asked.

Oliver puckered his lips. His eyes stayed down for another two heartbeats before he lifted his gaze to look at her. That was all he did. He just looked at her, scrutinizing her face.

“I guess that depends on you,” Oliver said. “I don’t care about my father’s opinion on this. I understand if it’s different for you though. We could still be normal friends, nothing more.”

His voice was soft. He sounded honest. He wanted to respect her opinion which was something Felicity was very grateful for. She smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

“Like I told your father already,” Felicity said, shrugging her shoulders, “this is none of this damn business, so I am still in if you are still in.”

Oliver flipped the pancake by throwing it in the air and catching it with the pan again. This definitely wasn’t the first time he had done it. It actually looked quite professional.

“So, we are still rebounds?”

Felicity nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.”

He said it casually like he it wasn’t a big thing. Yet, Felicity could see the smile that ghosted over his face. The corners of her own mouth were twitching too. She had been hesitant to join into this experimental friendship at first, but she didn’t want to miss it now. She liked what she had with Oliver, and she didn’t want to give it up. She didn’t need a rebound anymore. She was over Ray, probably had been for much longer than she had thought possible. She just wanted to keep what they had because it made her feel good.

Oliver switched of the hotplate and pushed the pan off the stove. The fingers of his free hand drew patterns on her skin. His fingertips stayed around her knee at first, but they moved up her leg soon. Felicity spread her legs a little, letting Oliver’s fingers travel to the insides of her thighs.

“I think it’s a reason to celebrate isn’t it?” Oliver asked, his intense eyes meeting hers.

Felicity smiled. “Yeah.”

Only a second later, their lips met in a hungry kiss. Dessert was her favorite breakfast.


	9. Rule 4: No texting other than sexting and arraging hookups

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry for updating late. I forgot to update yesterday because it has been a very important day for me. I had my first of 10 classes I had to show. Everything went well, so I finally remembered to update. Sorry for the wait!
> 
> By the way, I still haven't finished writing the last chapter. It's been more than three weeks already. I hope I will finish it once the next class I have to show (next Wednesday) has passed. :)

Oliver’s head felt like it was going to explode any second. The pounding headache reminded him of the ticking of a bomb, bringing him closer to the big bang steadily.

As soon as his father wished everyone a good weekend, Oliver grabbed his stuff and shoved it into his briefcase. He got up and hurried towards the door before anyone could engage him in a conversation. The last thing he wanted was to stay in that cold room full of cold people for just a single second longer.

With fast steps Oliver walked towards the elevator. He was lucky that it was already at the top floor. All he had to do was to push the button to open the doors and step into the elevator cab. Every muscle in his body was tense as he waited for the elevator doors to close before anyone else could follow him.

When the doors started closing, Oliver sighed and leaned back against the cool wall of the cab. He closed his eyes, letting his head fall forward until his chin rested on the top of his chest. His headache seemed to radiate all through his body now. He guessed it was a sign of the heavy tension in his muscles. He had spent too much time sitting at his desk and at that conference table. He would have to work on his fitness a little this weekend again before he turned into one of those office sitters that were breathless after a small case of stairs.

The doors of the elevator had almost closed completely when they suddenly stopped and opened again. Oliver lifted his head quickly, readying himself to spend the way down to the underground parking talking about the outcome of the conference. As soon as he saw John, a relieved sigh fell from his lips though.

“Just me,” John said with a slightly amused smile. “Everyone else is still busy with small talk, so no reason to panic.”

Oliver groaned lowly and rubbed his hands over his face. The company felt like a minefield, one wrong step and you were caught in a deadly fire that even his bodyguard couldn’t protect him from.

When the elevator doors finally closed completely and the cab started moving, Oliver lifted his hand and pulled at his tie to loosen it. He undid the two topmost buttons of his shirt and stretched his neck by leaning his head to the right shoulder and then to the lift one. It didn’t make him feel much better, but at least he could pretend that it was different.

“I guess the conference went well.”

“You did better than anyone thought you would to say the least,” John agreed. “I think your father’s right hand, that Isabel-girl, was quite pissed. She hoped you would fail, so she’d get closer to becoming vice president.”

“I would have failed,” Oliver said with a sigh, “if it wasn’t for Felicity’s help. Her coaching taught me more than most years in school or any time with my father or any of his employees here did.”

For a short moment, John looked like he wanted to say something. If that had been the case, he seemed to change his mind quickly. Their friendship was back to the way it had been before John had found out about Oliver and Felicity. They never talked about that though. Oliver didn’t talk about it a lot anyway. If something slipped from his lips, John did his best to ignore it. The less they talked about it, the better for both of them.

“So, you are giving Queen Consolidated a shot?”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “I might be doing okay at this, but I doubt that I will ever enjoy it.”

He should have probably thought about what job he would enjoy sooner instead of throwing himself into whatever he had felt was the most comfortable for him to try at the moment. He preferred leading a club over leading a tech company, that was for sure. The work was somewhat similar, but at least leading a club didn’t force him to wear uncomfortable suits or sit behind a desk all day.

Looking back, maybe it was the only thing that made him prefer working at Verdant. He had liked it, but he couldn’t really say that it had been the job of his dreams. At the start, it had been really cool. He had enjoyed making the creative decisions of how to set up the club, which drinks to add to their menu and what special parties to plan. As soon as the routine had settled, it had almost gotten a little bit boring, and he had spent a lot of time partying because it had felt like the only thing that offered at least partly as much fun as he had had at the beginning of that project.

Oliver frowned slightly. If he could choose any job there was, he had no idea what he would decide on. He didn’t know what he was fired up for. He just didn’t know.

Maybe his life would be different if he knew.

Frowning slightly, Oliver shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to think about this. The weekend was starting, and he was determined to use his time to relax and get his mind off work, not deeper into it.

When the elevator doors opened in the underground parking, Oliver grabbed his keys and chucked them to John.

“You drive,” he suggested.

John perked up his eyebrows. “I am your driver now too?”

“I’m just too exhausted,” Oliver replied. “So please.”

John just shrugged his shoulders and unlocked the doors of Oliver’s Porsche. Oliver put his briefcase into the trunk where it would stay for the weekend. He took off his jacket and tie and put both of it into the trunk too before he slid into the soft leather of the passenger seat. While he was fastening his seat belt and John war directing the car out of the parking lot, Oliver pulled his phone out of the pocket of his pants.

**O:** The conference went well. Thanks again for your help. I couldn’t have done this without you.

It only took three seconds for the two blue tick marks to appear next to his message, telling him that Felicity had already read it. Without switching off the display, Oliver continued looking at it. Only a moment later, he receiver her answer.

**F:** I want details!

Oliver smiled. He knew that Felicity was on his side against his father. She didn’t want him to be good at what he was doing, so he could take over the Queen Consolidated one day. She wanted him to be good, so he could prove to his father that he wasn’t the quitter and the loser his father probably saw in him. It was how he knew that she was a real friend.

**O:** Not much to say. I presented the contract we worked out. Everyone was surprised I didn’t mess it up.

**F:** They just don’t know how much potential you have.

**O:** Not much more than you already brought out I’d say.

**F:** I don’t believe that.

Oliver smiled. He wished he had met Felicity sooner. Having a friend like her, who wasn’t only incredibly smart and ambitious but always saw the best in him and did her own best to help bring it out might have changed his life completely. He was sure he’d be somewhere else, somewhere better if he had known her before.

**O:** How is your day going? You left early this morning.

To say she had left early was actually an underestimation. She always left early, around six at last. This morning, he woke up at four-thirty because the door downstairs had fallen shut. The other side of the bed had been left even if still warm. On his nightstand he had found a little note Felicity had left for him, telling him that she had an early meeting that she still needed to prepare some stuff for.

**F:** Did you get my message?

**O:** Sure. Still wondering how your day went.

**F:** It’s okay but stressful. I still have a lot of work going.

**O:** Busy day?

**F:** I spent three hours telling my mom all the reasons why I can’t visit her.

**O:** Did she believe you?

**F:** Probably not, but I won’t have to visit her for a while at least.

**O:** Congrats?

**F:** Definitely.

**O:** Heading out for the gym now.

**F:** You deserve some rest.

**O:** Gym is giving me some rest.

**F:** You’re weird.

**O:** You’re weird!

**F:** Whatever! Have fun!

**O:** I will. Talk to you later.

Oliver sighed and pushed his phone back into the pocket of his pants. He’d go to the gym with John now and use Felicity’s presence as a way to relax himself later. That sounded like a good and promising weekend plan.

When John directed the car right towards the gym without Oliver having to tell himself so, he smiled. Of course his friend knew what he needed after a day of hell like this. Their love for hard training was one of the many reasons why they had become such good friends.

* * * * *

While he was toweling himself, Oliver enjoyed the delicious soreness of his muscles that had replaced the tension after three hours of following through John’s thorough training plan.

Once he had started training, Oliver had realized how much energy he had had bottled up inside of him. Running three times a week and spending hours of that special gymnastics in bed with Felicity was good to keep fit, but it wasn’t enough to feel sore like this.

Oliver grinned slightly. He guessed if that was supposed to tell him anything, it was that he had to gear up when being with Felicity. They had wonderful sex, just the kind that eased his mind and brought the relief he desperately needed at times. He was sure that they could be more experimental and more enduring though if they just took a little more time. Maybe tonight would be the right night to test that.

Dropping his towel to the floor, Oliver grabbed his boxer briefs and sweatpants. He put on both before he left his bathroom and headed towards the stairs.

He had just set a foot on the topmost step when a rhythmic clattering made him realize that he wasn’t the only one in his loft right now. It only took him a brief moment to recognize the clattering as the familiar sound of Felicity’s fingers dancing over the keyboard of her laptop.

Oliver walked down the rest of the stairs quickly. He was already about to say something about the way Felicity sat on the couch with her legs stretched out and her feet resting on his couch table next to a glass of wine. He kind of liked the sight though he wondered if maybe she felt a little bit too at home at his place now. The question died on his tongue as soon as he saw the giant suitcase at his door though. His steps slowed down until he came to a complete stop in the middle of his living area.

“If you grab yourself a glass, I can offer some wine. I have brought a great bottle, one of my top five labels. You will like it.”

Felicity said those words without as much as looking back at him over her shoulder. Her fingers continued dancing over the keyboard in maddening pace.

“Are you offering me wine in my place?” Oliver asked. He didn’t give her any time to answer and quickly added, “How did you even get in here?”

“Please, I know where your spare key is.” Felicity shot him a brief glance, rolling her eyes. “I can’t even say that I know where you hide it because it is so badly hidden that it doesn’t even count as a hideout. If you let the key stuck in the lock, it wouldn’t be any easier to find. You are really pleading for people to break in, don’t you?”

A smile ghosted over Oliver’s face. He knew he probably shouldn’t be amused because Felicity had basically broken into his place. At the same time, he just couldn’t be mad with the way she was sitting there on his couch like it was exactly where she belonged.

With a soundless sigh, Oliver nodded towards her suitcase. “Are you going on a business trip?”

“Nope.”

“Vacation?”

“Nope.”

“So, your mom forced you to go visit her in Vegas?”

“Hell, no!”

Felicity shot him an angry glare like the bare suggestion that she might have to visit her mother was causing her physical or emotional pain. Oliver did his best to keep a straight face, biting down on his tongue hard. As soon as Felicity turned away from him to take a huge gulp of her wine, Oliver couldn’t prevent a wide grin from spreading on his lips.

Clearing his voice, Oliver caught himself quickly though. He approached the couch and jumped over the backrest right into the cushions. Felicity lifted her gaze over the frame of her glasses, observing Oliver while he was grabbing her glass from the table and took a few sips from the delicious wine.

“What is that suitcase for?”

Felicity had already turned her attention back to her laptop, typing furiously. Her eyes were moving quickly, reading whatever texts were flashing on her display.

“I have to find a hotel room for the next few days.”

Oliver frowned. “In need of a change of scenery?”

“Since there is a burst water pipe that set my entire living area under water up to my ankles, I am forced into needing a change of scenery, yes.”

“That sucks.”

Felicity just snorted, not saying anything.

Oliver watched her continuing to type orders on her keyboard. The little furrow between her eyebrows grew deeper the more hotels she discovered to be unavailable.

“There is a trade fair in town. I guess all hotels are fully booked.”

A few years ago, when he had still been living in his family’s mansion, his father had kicked him out after a fight. He couldn’t count how many times his father had kicked him out during that time. His mother had always managed to mediate between them. Anyway, he had often needed to stay at a hotel room for a night or two, so his mother could talk his father into taking him back in. One time, all hotels had been fully booked because of some trade fair, and he had needed to sleep on John’s couch.

“We should order some takeout,” Oliver suggested after a moment, “or we could cook. Well, I could cook. I don’t want you anywhere near my fridge or my heater. With what I know about you, I guess you’d just happen to burn my house down. I’ll check what’s in the fridge.”

He patted her thigh playfully before he got up and walked over to the kitchen. He grabbed a handful of grapes and popped the first into his mouth while he was opening the fridge. Puckering his lips, he checked out what was inside.

“My fridge doesn’t offer much right now,” Oliver said, “but I think I can manage some Penne al Arrabiata.”

Oliver took the tomatoes out of the fridge and got the other supplies needed from his larder. He grinned to himself quietly, knowing that the little his fridge was offering was a lot compared to what Felicity’s fridge was offering on a daily basis. The first and last time he had dared to take a look into her fridge, there had been a bottle of milk that had smelled sour even through the glass and some vegetables that he hadn’t even been able to recognize.

“You like spicy food, right?” Oliver asked, taking a careful look at the tomatoes that still looked as great as they had on the farmer’s market where he had bought them a couple of days ago. “I can try to create a milder version if-“

Oliver stopped as soon as he looked up and found Felicity kneeling on the couch, leaning over the backrest and looking at her pleadingly. Unsure what that was supposed to mean or what crazy idea there was in her head now, Oliver just perked up his eyebrows and looked at her questioningly. Felicity puckered her lips in response and angled her head slightly.

It took Oliver three seconds to finally get it.

“No way,” he said, shaking his head. “No. No. No.”

Felicity climbed over the back of the couch. She didn’t do so exactly graciously, but Oliver didn’t care. All he could think about was that idea that had been in Felicity’s face, one that he needed to turn down quickly.

“Come on, Oliver,” Felicity said, approaching him. “This could be fun.”

“No,” Oliver repeated firmly and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Not even Helena got to move in with me.”

Felicity pursed her lips and even rolled her eyes slightly. She put her hands on his forearms and squeezed gently.

“You have to see this differently,” she told him. “I’m a friend, not a girlfriend. My stay is absolutely limited by the way, and with the many hours I spent working every day, you won’t see much of me. Really, you will barely notice that I am here, and I’ll be gone before that changes. This won’t change anything, not for you or for me or for this thing between us.”

Oliver bit down on his tongue. He knew that if Tommy or John needed a place to stay for a couple of nights, he would agree to letting them stay here in a heartbeat. With Felicity, it was different though. They were friends. He truly believed that. He knew that the line between friendship and more was a lot thinner between them than between him and John or him and Tommy though.

“No,” he repeated eventually, shaking his head. “My answer stays the same. No.”

The small furrow between Felicity’s eyebrows deepened. It only lasted a minute though. Only a moment later, it was replaced by a somewhat seductive smile as Felicity stepped a little bit closer to him. Her breasts were pressing against his forearms.

“You know, if I am staying here, we can have a lot more sex. We can have sex every night and every day.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows. He couldn’t say that he didn’t like the sound of that. The bare suggestion of having sex with her again was making his cock twitch in his sweatpants. He bit down on his tongue even harder.

“Besides, my OBGYN attested me that I am free of any STD.”

That made Oliver perk up his eyebrows once more. The corners of his lips twitched into an amused smile.

“Are you offering sex without condoms for a place to stay now?”

“I would have offered it anyway, depending on the results of your test of course, but it’s fine for me if you want to take it that way.” Felicity sighed. “Besides, I am desperate. I don’t want to sleep on the streets, and I have been sleeping here a couple of nights before anyway. We had phenomenal sex those nights.”

Oliver couldn’t deny that. The sex had been great, and he had thought about stepping up on the sex a little bit more a couple of minutes ago. Having Felicity here longer would be just the right way to try it.

Still, he wasn’t completely convinced.

“Why don’t you sleep at Lyla’s?”

“Have you ever spent a night there when Sara was a little moody?” Felicity asked, angling her head slightly. “I have, and it’s a nightmare.”

Oliver scrunched up his nose slightly. He had never spent a night at John’s place, at least not since Sara had been born. He knew from those few times he had met Sara and she had been in a bad mood that a crying baby really wasn’t something he’d like to live with.

Felicity seemed to sense that his willpower was wavering. She stroked her thumbs back and forth on his skin slightly.

“You won’t have to endure me for long,” Felicity said urgently. “I promise.”

How could he resist her? How could he turn her down and ask her to sleep at Lyla’s? With the way she looked at him so pleadingly, it was impossible. Oliver just couldn’t do it.

He gave in with a sigh, and only a second later, Felicity had wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. She was screeching into his ear while his arms were wrapping around her waist, unable to resist.

The hem of Felicity’s top had been pulled out of the waistband of her skirt when she had lifted her arms. His fingers grazed over the small stripe of skin that had been exposed there, and he felt goosebumps spreading on the small of her back where he had touched her. He snuck his fingertips a little further under the soft fabric of her top.

“I can’t,” Felicity said with a groan, pushing Oliver away at his shoulders. “I spent the entire evening trying to find a hotel room. I have a ton of work left.”

Oliver grumbled mockingly. “So much to all the sex we will have.”

“Later, Oliver, later.” Felicity patted his cheek playfully. “Patience is an important virtue. You should try it.”

She straightened up onto the tip of her toes and pecked his lips briefly before she went back to the couch. She took a few more sips of her wine. With a content sigh, she leaned back, pulled her laptop onto her thighs and started typing.

“I will head out and go shopping then,” Oliver said. “I guess this news calls for dessert after dinner. Any wishes?”

“Chocolate chip mint ice cream would be great,” Felicity said without looking up from her laptop. “Thank you.”

Oliver grabbed a used shirt from the armchair closest to him and put it on. He slipped into his shoes and grabbed his keys. He had just put the first foot over the doorstep when-

“Bye, Honey.”

Freezing dead in his tracks, Oliver turned around. Felicity was still working on her laptop like she hadn’t said anything. It took at least five seconds before she lifted her gaze. There was a barely visible grin on her face. Yet, Oliver could see it.

Oliver chuckled. “I am so going to regret this.”

 

* * * * *

 

Accompanied by the rhythmic clattering of the keyboard Felicity was working on, Oliver watched the baseball game that was currently airing. It was a boring game. Nothing was really happening. He just watched it because he was used to watching sports Friday night.

Tonight, for the first time in a while, he felt his thoughts drifting off a lot though. He caught himself listening to the clattering of the keyboard. It almost sounded like music, a music he kind of enjoyed actually.

From the corner of his eyes, Oliver watched Felicity work. She was completely focused on her laptop. Even when she stopped typing to reach out her hand for the glass of wine on the couch table, she didn’t look up from the monitor. Seeing her like that was an intense experience. He felt like he was bothering her even just from watching her from the corner of her eyes.

Oliver focused back on his flat screen TV, but he wondered if he had ever been that focused on anything. Even during intense training that he enjoyed a lot, his mind was wandering off a lot. He couldn’t prevent it. He was barely ever focused on one thing and just one thing. Sometimes, when he was trying to create new dishes, he could lose himself in that process in the best way possible.

Cooking. Oliver had to bite back a snort. He doubted that his father would see any more perspective in cooking than he had in starting a club. Oliver wasn’t even sure if he himself saw any perspective in cooking.

When Felicity sighed, Oliver turned his head to watch her. She shut down her laptop and put it on the couch table before sinking deeper into the cushions of the couch. She adjusted the position of some pillows in her back and stretched out her feet. Her gaze turned towards the TV, and she frowned slightly like she had just realized they were watching sports and she wasn’t a fan.

Oliver doubted that he’d ever find a job that he would be able to lose himself in as much as Felicity was able to lose herself in her job. He wanted to at least find a passion, a hobby, something to lose himself in like that. He was sure that it would enrich his life.

When Felicity suddenly turned her head and looked at him with perked up eyebrows, he frowned. She lowered her eyes to his lap before lifting it to his and angling her head just a little bit more. Oliver followed her gaze to realize that he had pulled her feet into his lap and was massaging them.

Frowning, Oliver looked at Felicity. She seemed to be more than amused by his absent minded actions. She chuckled when he pushed her feet off his lap and grabbed his bottle of beer from the couch table, rolling his eyes.

He had been living with Felicity for a few hours now, and he still wasn’t sure what to think about it. So far, they had had dinner together which wasn’t something new for them. After that, they had moved to the couch where he had started watching the game and Felicity had started working. That was kind of new, but it didn’t exactly feel weird.

Oliver sighed. He really didn’t know what to think about Felicity living here. He just hoped that it wouldn’t take long for her to be able to go back to her apartment. It would clear the status of their rebound relationship more.

“Oliver?”

“Hm?”

“Is the game interesting?”

“No.” Oliver sighed and took a huge gulp from his beer. “I wish it was.”

He scrunched up his nose. Baseball really wasn’t what it used to be, at least not this season. The last game he had watched had been almost as idealess as this one though he felt that the team had reached a new low. Watching paint dry on a wall was more interesting than this.

Oliver’s attention shifted from the game to something much more interesting and much more promising than any baseball game or any drying paint could be. Felicity had moved from her spot on the other side of the couch and was now kneeling next to him. Her fingers were already undoing the knot on the front of the waistband.

“What are you doing?”

Felicity looked at him. “What does it look like?”

Oliver’s cock twitched at her question, knowing exactly what it looked like. He stayed lying back where he was and didn’t say a word. He just watched Felicity hooking her fingers into the waistband of his sweatpants and pulling them down. He lifted his hips a little, helping her.

Felicity took his cock in with her eyes carefully. Oliver felt a prickle at the lowest point of his spine at how intense her gaze was. His cock hardened more, all the blood pooling there. The bare anticipation of what she might do aroused him.

Felicity didn’t let him wonder what she’d do for too long. She leaned down, taking hold of his cock and wrapped her lips around him. Oliver released a strangled moan, resisting the urge to thrust up into her mouth. She felt so great, so warm and soft. Oliver couldn’t count how many times he had wondered what her lips would feel against his cock. Nothing he could have imagined was as good as this reality.

Slowly, Felicity started moving her head. She took him in deeper, letting his lips brush over his cock. Her tongue rubbed against the underside of his cock at the same time. Her fingers grabbed his balls, stroking them. It was intense. She was giving him so many sensations, making him feel so good in such a short time.

He was deep inside of her mouth, embraced by the warm wet. He was aching to move. His heels were already pressing into the mattress, giving him the leverage, he would need to thrust up. Oliver kept still though.

Soon, Felicity lifted her head. The rough top of her tongue continued rubbing over the underside of his cock. Oliver suck in a deep breath. His hips were shifting, but he kept them down in the cushions of the couch. When only the tip of his cock was still inside of her, she started sucking.

“Oh god!”

Oliver’s hips bucked slightly. His cock slid a little deeper into her mouth for a moment. He lowered his hips quickly, and Felicity lifted her head a little bit more to make his cock fall from her lips. Oliver used the short pause that occurred to quickly push his bottle of beer between the seat and backrest of the couch, so it was safely tugged there and couldn’t fall.

Just when his hand was free, Felicity’s lips wrapped around his cock once more. She started bobbing her head rhythmically, making his cock slip into and out of her mouth quickly. Oliver resisted the urge to meet the movements of her mouth with his hips. All he did was slipping his fingers into her ponytail and letting his hand rest against the back of her head loosely.

He watched her while she was pleasuring him as much as he could watch her. His eyes threatened to drift shut, so he could completely lose himself in the sensation of her lips against his cock. He knew that the moment he’d close his eyes and let loose, he’d lose the little thread of self-control he was still holding onto desperately. He didn’t want this to end just yet though. They were just getting started.

On the spur of the moment, Oliver let go of Felicity’s ponytail to grab one of her legs and pull it closer to his head. Felicity’s lips fell off his cock, and he saw her shooting him a confused glance.

“What are you-?”

Oliver lifted her knee and rested it next to his head. He grabbed his other leg and placed her knee at the other side of his head, so she was kneeling right over his face. He could smell the delicious scent of her even through her panties. She was already wet from pleasuring him. Oliver couldn’t wait to find out if she tasted as great as she smelled. He had asked himself that question, wondering what she tasted like, so many times before.

If the expression on Felicity’s face was any indication, she already knew what he was about to do before he hooked his fingers into the waistband of his panties and tugged them down. She lifted her right knee and then her left knee, taking off her panties and dropping them to the floor next to the couch.

“I am doing what I wanted to do for a long time now.”

With that, Oliver lifted his head from the pillow and licked a long path from her clit to her opening. Felicity gasped in response, her hips pressing down onto his mouth just slightly. Oliver didn’t mind. She tasted sweet and unique, better than he could have ever imagined. Her taste spread on his tongue and intensified when he entered her tight channel with his tongue and started thrusting it in and out of her slowly.

“Oh my god!”

Felicity held onto Oliver’s thighs tightly while she was enjoying the pleasure he made her feel. She started meeting the thrusts of his tongue with shallow movements of her hips, allowing him to slid his tongue deeper into her. At the same time, she lowered her upper body until her face was hovering right over his lap. She blew a breath against Oliver’s cock, making his hips buck, before she wrapped her lips back around him.

They moved in unison. Whenever Felicity took his cock further into her mouth, Oliver stroked his tongue deeper into her. Every time Felicity pulled away from his cock, Oliver pulled his tongue out of her. Only the sound of their moans filled the loft as their pleasure was increasing simultaneously. The vibrations of their moans seemed to echo through each other’s body.

It wasn’t long until Oliver felt the familiar tingling at the base of his spine. Felicity’s mouth around his cock and the smell and taste of her juices embracing him made his pleasure rise incredibly quickly. Given Felicity’s moans, Oliver assumed that she wasn’t far from her peak of pleasure either.

He wanted them to fall over the edge together, so he knew that he should gain some more control over her pleasure. Oliver lifted a hand and started stroking his fingertips over Felicity’s clit. The sudden sensation seemed to surprise her so much that she gasped for breath. The cold air that grazed against his cock in result, almost caused Oliver to lose the last bit of self-control. He only moaned against Felicity’s opening in response.

Oliver didn’t know if it was the stimulation of her clit or the vibration of his lips against her opening, but it seemed to be exactly what Felicity needed. Her legs started shaking, and she released a strangled moan with her lips still wrapped around his cock. She sucked at his tip, still moaning around him.

It was all Oliver needed to trigger his own release. He had been so on edge that the vibrations of her lips against him and the slight tugging as she sucked at him was all he needed to lose the last bit of self-control and let go.

The pleasure spread in his body, filling every fiber of his body. His muscles were tense. His nerves were on edge. His bones almost felt like they were aching a little. His skin was tingling. Everything felt like it was too much and not enough at the same time. It was perfect.

Slowly, his pleasure ceased. His body relaxed and he sank into the cushions, feeling nothing but content. Felicity climbed off his face and let herself fall into the cushions next to him. She rested her head against his shoulder and tangled her legs with his.

“That was nice,” she said, still sounding breathless. “It was even nicer than I thought it would be.”

Oliver chuckled and turned his head to press a kiss to her forehead. They both sighed in unison.

“You know, ten minutes ago, I wasn’t sure this would work,” Oliver said. “I think I like having you here though.”

Oliver could feel Felicity smile against his shoulder. “Of course you would.”

Of course he would, he repeated her words in his head. She was probably right, and he felt like it was about a lot more than just sex. Their friendship just made him feel comfortable when she was around him, and he hoped that it was the same for her.


	10. Rule 1: No urging, no obligations

Despite the almost ten hours of sleep she had had last night and the long shower she had already taken, Felicity still felt like she was at least half-asleep when she strolled down the stairs. She held her shoes in her one hand and her phone in the other, going through her schedule for today, so she could mentally prepare herself for what was ahead of her today.

She was so focused on trying to memorize her schedule that she almost missed the delicious smell of coffee and omelets that came from the kitchen area. Angling her head back a little bit, she started sniffling and soon found herself following the delicious smell towards the kitchen area. She perked up her eyebrows and cocked her head when she saw Oliver standing at the stove and preparing breakfast. Two sets of dishes were placed on the kitchen island.

“Are you expecting a guest this early?”

Oliver looked up from the pan. He smiled when his eyes found hers, and Felicity felt herself affected by it immediately. The corners of her lips tugged into a content smile of her own.

When her alarm had gone off and woken her forty minutes ago, Oliver had already had left the bed. It was unusual for him to get up before she did. Those few times she had slept here after one of their sex dates, he had always been fast asleep when she had left. It hadn’t been different the last three nights that she had spent here because of the burst water pipe. He had always been fast asleep when she had left.

Since Oliver was a really sporty guy who spent a lot of time to make sure that he was fit and in good shape, Felicity had just assumed that he had gone out for a run. As recently as yesterday, he had complained that she was distracting him from his usual workout routine. It had been a mild complaint since Felicity had offered some other training ideas that included a lot of sweating.

Oliver flipped the omelet in the pan before he turned away towards the coffee maker. He shot her a somewhat teasing smile when he grabbed the pot and carried it over to the kitchen island.

“I am actually doing this for you.”

Felicity perked up her eyebrows even more. Her surprise almost made her drop her shoes. She tightened her grip on the shoes just before they were about to slip out of her grasp.

“For me?”

Oliver chuckled, obviously amused about her surprise.

“You are leaving without breakfast every day,” he told her. “It’s not healthy. You need a rich breakfast to start your day.”

“Aww, you are taking such good care of me, Honey,” Felicity said, trying to suppress a chuckle. “If you continue like that, I will never want to leave.”

She dropped her shoes to the floor carelessly and walked over to the chairs at the kitchen island. She sat down there, smiling at Oliver amusedly over the edge of her coffee mug. Since she had temporarily moved in here, she and Oliver had started teasing each other by playing the perfectly sweet couple that they weren’t and didn’t want to be.

“Don’t worry,” Oliver said with the slightest of a grumble in his voice. “I will kick you out the moment your townhouse is ready to be lived in again.”

Felicity puckered her lips for a moment, wondering if she should continue this game for a little longer. She loved watching Oliver going back and forth between playing along to that game and emphasizing that she wasn’t allowed to stay here together. Since she had her first appointment in about an hour, there was no time for more teasing though.

While Felicity was taking some sips from her coffee, Oliver placed the omelet on the plate in front of her. He lost no time and started preparing another omelet then. Felicity started eating silently, not saying a word. The food was delicious, but she wasn’t surprised by that. Oliver was a great cook.

“Do you already know when you are coming home today?” Oliver asked. “My home I mean?”

Felicity bit down on the inside of her cheek, doing her best to suppress an amused smile at his correction. She doubted that she succeeded though. She could feel the corners of her lips twitching in amusement.

“Around seven I guess,” Felicity replied. “Any plans?”

“I was wondering if we should have dinner together and use the rest of the night to have a lot of sex.”

“Sounds great.”

Felicity didn’t hesitate with her answer. She loved Oliver’s cooking. She actually felt weirdly spoilt by getting her dinner cooked by him. Sex was just the right dessert to make it all perfect. She knew that good food and a nice orgasm was the combination that assured her a content evening and peaceful sleep.

“Good.” Oliver nodded, flipping the omelet and adjusting its position in the pan by moving the pan back and forth a little. “Dinner will be ready by seven-thirty. Please don’t be late, Darling.”

“Alright, Honey.”

Their gazes met, and both of them had to bite back a smile of amusement.

In the back of her mind, Felicity wondered if they were playing with fire here. They had always enjoyed teasing each other. Even when they hadn’t known each other’s names yet, they had teased each other. Felicity had enjoyed it in particular. Living together and teasing each other like they were a couple was only blurring the thin line between keeping their things strictly casual and risking to develop feelings.

She pushed that thought into an even further corner of her mind. She didn’t want to think about any risks, especially not right now. Things between her and Oliver were going well. They had a lot of fun and supported each other. He was still making her feel good, better than she had felt in a long time actually. She didn’t want that to change.

Felicity cleared her throat, feeling it was best to change the subject. She might not be willing to give up playing with fire, but she could at least try to play a little bit more safely. A little rest was probably going to help.

“So, what’s on your schedule for today? Anything you need help with?”

 

* * * * *

 

“I still can’t believe that you chose to live with Oliver instead of us.”

Felicity suppressed a sigh, just rolling her eyes slightly and shaking her head. She understood why Lyla had trouble understanding Felicity’s decision, but she really wished her friend would just let it go. Felicity didn’t want to tell Lyla that she really couldn’t live under the same roof as her little god daughter despite how much she loved the little girl. She doubted that any mother wanted to hear that.

“I told you,” Felicity said eventually, “I didn’t want to burden you with the work. You know how chaotic I can be.”

“Still.” Lyla sighed. “I am a little bit jealous.”

That, on the other hand, made Felicity smile widely. Lyla had been her best friend for so long, and they still stuck together like they were sisters. It was one of the many things Felicity enjoyed about her friendship with Lyla so much. Despite the different lives they led by now, they still enjoyed each other’s companionship as much as they had when they had both been completely focused on their careers.

“Is Oliver at least taking good care of you?”

“More than good care,” Felicity replied without hesitation. “He made me breakfast today because he is worried about my eating habits.”

There was a long silence that made Felicity frown slightly. She had assumed that Lyla was going to joke about Oliver and cooking. Felicity doubted that her friend knew that Oliver was actually a really good cook. With the family he came from, it did actually come as a surprise that he even knew how to turn on the stove.

“Are you two together now?”

Felicity frowned. “No, of course not. Why would you think that?”

“Well, you two are living together. You are sleeping together. He is making you breakfast.” Lyla made a short pause. “It does sound a lot like what couples do.”

“We are not a couple.”

Felicity chuckled, shaking her head. As much as she knew that their rebound relationship might look strange to outsiders, she knew what they had. The fact that she had thought about the dangers of how close they were and how connected their lives were right now just this morning only proved that she knew they were playing with fire. Knowing about this danger was the most important step to prevent it from happening.

“Are you sure because-“

“Of course I am sure. Oliver and I are just having some fun and- Oh sorry!”

Distracted by her phone call with Lyla, Felicity bumped against someone. The coffee Oliver had urged her to take with her spilled over her hand, and Felicity hissed at the burning feeling. She was shaking her hand, trying to make the hot coffee to drop off her skin and easing her pain a little at the same time.

“Everything alright?”

“Yes, I just- Can I call you again later.”

“O-okay.”

“Thanks. Talk to you soon.”

Felicity ended the call and dropped her phone into the pocket of her summer coat. She wiped her hand at the pink cotton and lifted her gaze. She bit down on her tongue and scrunched up her nose when she saw that the light beige jacket of the man she had bumped into was covered with coffee too.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” she hurried to say. “I was distracted by my phone call and didn’t notice you. I-“

The moment Felicity looked that person in the eyes, she stopped speaking. She fell silent, unable to make another sound. Even if she tried, she knew she wouldn’t get even the slightest sound out from between her lips. The entire world around her seemed to stand still as she looked in those familiar eyes that she hadn’t seen in years and that she had thought she’d never see again.

“Dad.”

The word slipped out of her mouth in a soundless whisper. If it wasn’t for the soft smile that spread on his lips, she wouldn’t think that he had heard her. She actually wished that he hadn’t heard her because she didn’t grant him the satisfaction of calling him her dad. He hadn’t been her dad in years. He had actually stopped being her dad when he had left her and her mother all those years ago.

Seeing him felt like a punch into the stomach or probably even worse. Felicity was barely able to breathe. The pain that came from the pit of her stomach seemed to spread all through her body, filling every cell of her. All she could feel was pain.

“Felicity.”

His voice, familiar though a little deeper and raspier than she remembered, snapped her out of her state of being frozen. Felicity sucked in a deep breath, only know realizing how badly she had needed the air.

“I am so happy to see you.”

Felicity opened her mouth to reply something, but no sound came out. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly without any word falling from her lips. Even if she could speak, what was she about to say?

“When I came to Starling, I swore myself to check on you. I was actually planning on figuring out your address today, so I could call you and ask if you had time for a cup of coffee.”

His chuckle made Felicity’s stomach twist even more painfully. The way he talked just reminded Felicity more of a friend she hadn’t seen in a while and was surprised but happy to run into. It wasn’t the tone of a father who was ashamed for leaving his wife and his daughter without caring whether they could take care of themselves and without ever looking back.

Her father continued talking about how great it was to see her again, and Felicity just didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t really believed that she’d see her father again. If she saw her father again, she had always believed that she was prepared for it because she had found him and decided to go meet him, so she could tell him how disappointed she was with him. This, meeting him unprepared, was not what she had pictured.

Felicity didn’t know how much time had passed. She hadn’t heard much of what her father had been saying. When she heard her mother’s name falling from his lips though, just as casually as he had used her name, Felicity suddenly felt incredibly angry.

How dare he talking about Donna? He had no idea what he had done to her by leaving. He had no idea how much she had had to give up and how much she had had to fight to provide even the most important things for her and her daughter. He had no idea how much Donna had suffered from knowing that she couldn’t afford the things her daughter desired, and she couldn’t offer her as much as other parents could offer their children.

The anger took over the shock quickly. Without saying a word, Felicity turned away from her father and started walking away. She only walked a few steps before she turned back around to him once more. If this really was the last time she saw him which she hoped it was, she knew she had to tell him something that she had imagined herself saying to him so many times.

Slowly, Felicity turned towards him once more. He was still looking at her, honestly surprised that she was just walking away. It only increased her anger.

“Go to hell.”

She said it calmly like she was just wishing him a nice day. While her father blinked twice, looking slightly taken aback by her reaction, Felicity turned away from him and walked away. She did her best to walk at normal instead of stomping away or anything. Only when she believed that she was out of sight, she increased her pace a little bit.

As soon as she had turned around the next corner, she stood still and pressed her hand to her heart though. It was racing in her chest, making it hard to breathe. Tears were prickling in her eyes, and her throat was burning from the sob she was desperately holding back. Her entire body was shaking.

She hadn’t been prepared for meeting him, and she hadn’t been prepared for how unsettled she felt all of a sudden. She had thought that she could deal with meeting him because she had accepted that he wasn’t the father she deserved a long time ago.

Felicity squeezed her eyes shut, sucking in a deep breath. She had needed years to shut her father out of her life. She didn’t need him in her life, and the fact that he had left wasn’t determining where her life would go from here. All she had achieved, she had achieved although her father had abandoned her.

Slowly, Felicity felt herself calming down. Her heart rate decreased until her heart was beating the slow and even rhythm that allowed her to breathe calmly again. Her body stopped trembling. Only the spinning of her thoughts continued.

Work, Felicity decided, was going to be the best cure for that. She would bury herself in her work until her thoughts were filled with numbers and ideas instead of any dark thoughts about her father. Work was going to help with that.

 

* * * * *

 

Felicity felt physically and emotionally exhausted to a point that she felt like she was going to collapse any second. Her head was spinning. Her legs were shaking slightly, threatening to give in right under her. Her chest felt tight, making it hard to breathe.  

If she was at home, she would probably kick the door shut behind her and just let herself sink to the floor right there, unable to keep herself upright just a second longer. Since she couldn’t go home, she found herself standing in front of the door to Oliver’s penthouse, trying to get a grasp on herself.

Sucking in a deep breath, Felicity rubbed the palms of her hands over her tired face. She had stayed at work for much longer than she had had to because she had hoped that she wouldn’t have to run into Oliver when she was coming back to his penthouse today. She didn’t want him to see how unsettled she was after what had happened. From the sidewalk downstairs, she had seen that the lights were still switched on though, so she guessed that she wasn’t lucky tonight.

Felicity grabbed the keys from her purse and already reached out for the lock. She couldn’t get herself to unlock the door already though.

She was still so very angry. All day, she had tried to push that thought away, but it always snuck back to her mind. She just couldn’t let go of it, and she couldn’t move past it. Seeing her father again seemed to have ripped open all the old wounds that she had thought had healed during the last years.

Why had he had to come back?

Felicity groaned darkly and finally unlocked the door. She knew she could stand here for hours, and she wouldn’t calm down. There was no point in delaying her encounter with Oliver.

Slamming the door shut behind her with a loud bang, Felicity was already about to just head upstairs without another word. When she lifted her gaze briefly, she found that the penthouse had been decorated thoroughly. Candles, though not enlightened, were placed on several surfaces in the living area. Rose petals had been spread on the hardwood floor. The long dining table had been set beautifully. It almost looked like Oliver had prepared anything for a date.

“Welcome back home, Darling.”

Felicity flinched strongly. She had been too distracted by the romantic setup to notice him. Now, she turned her head slowly to see him sitting on the couch with his legs stretched out and one arm behind his head. He was wearing jeans and one of those henleys that accentuated his broad chest so well. He had taken off his socks, looking casual and relaxed though.

“What is all of this?”

Oliver followed her gaze to the dining table before he looked back at her. He chuckled, taking a gulp from his bottle of beer.

“I just wanted to take our little game to the next level.” He nodded towards the kitchen. “Dinner’s in the fridge if you want to reheat it.”

Felicity sighed, walking over to the couch and letting herself fall into the soft cushions. Over her encounter with her father this morning, she had completely forgotten about their date for dinner and sex. She hadn’t been hungry all day anyway.

Turning her head, Felicity looked at Oliver. His eyes were already focused on her, taking her in thoroughly. She could see in his eyes that he knew something was wrong with her. It was what she had feared.

Frowning slightly, Felicity reached out her hand and took the bottle of beer from his hands. She downed the rest of the liquid quickly, wondering what she should do now. She could pretend like nothing had happened, or she could tell Oliver the truth. She wanted to do the first, but she wasn’t sure that he would buy it. On the other hand, she wasn’t sure that their friendship was deep enough for a story like this either.

“I’m sorry about dinner,” she said eventually, trying to buy time for her decision. “I forgot about it.”

“No problem,” Oliver replied. “Remember our first rule? No urging, no guilting and no obligations.”

Felicity smiled at him gratefully. She knew that he meant it. He wasn’t mad or disappointed. He took their rules as seriously as she did.

“Still,” she whispered, shrugging her shoulders. “I am sorry. You put so much effort into this, and I just forgot.”

“It really is no big deal.”

“I could have called.”

Oliver chuckled. “How when you forgot?”

There was some truth into it, and Felicity felt the first honest smile spreading on her lips today. As quickly as it had spread on her lips, as quickly it fell from her lips again though.

“Should I reheat the dinner?” Oliver asked.

Felicity shook her head. “I am not hungry. Sorry.”

“Maybe a glass of wine?”

Again, Felicity shook her head. She didn’t say anything else though. She really didn’t want to talk right now. She just wanted to sit here and hope that she wouldn’t start crying. She felt like she was on the verge of tears, but she had felt like that all day.

“Hard day at work?”

Felicity sucked in a deep breath and frowned slightly. She was still debating with herself whether or not she should tell him about what had happened.

“You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to,” Oliver said, mistaking her silence for a decision. “I can leave you alone and-“

“I met my dad today.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows. “I thought he abandoned you when you were a child.”

“He did.” Felicity chuckled dryly. “This morning, I met him on the street though. He acted like we were old friends that just lost sight of each other during the years. Can you believe that?”

“No,” Oliver replied without hesitation, “but I can tell you what will make me believe it, a few shots of my good Russian vodka.”

In one quick movement, Oliver jumped over the backrest of the couch and walked over to the kitchen area quickly. He grabbed a bottle from one of the shelves and two shot glasses. With that in his hands, he took the same way back, jumping over the backrest of the couch effortlessly and landing in the cushions next to her. He thrusted the glasses into her hands before he poured them some of the clear liquid.

They clinked their glasses without any toast and downed the gulp of vodka. Felicity had trouble not to couch as the liquid seemed to burn its way down her throat into her stomach. It was almost a little bit painful, but at least it distracted her.

“I think I need a second one.”

Oliver didn’t hesitate. He poured both of them another glass, and they repeated the whole act. It wasn’t as painful this time, but the burn wasn’t as sharp as it had been with the first shot. Still, tears were prickling in her eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was from the vodka or because of her anger though.

“He just stood there and told me how great it was to see me again and that he had been planning on meeting me since he was in town. There was no word of apology, no sign that he felt the least bit ashamed,” Felicity vented. “He was-“

Felicity just released a low groan though she felt like she wanted to scream. Thinking about her dad had been bad. Talking about him only made everything worse it seemed. The anger that had been boiling in the pit of her stomach all day seemed to spread all through her body now, taking over her entire being.

Oliver poured them another shot.

“He is unbelievable,” Felicity continued as soon as she had swallowed. “What the hell does he think? That it’s okay to just show up here unannounced after all these years? If I hadn’t been so surprised that I didn’t get a word out, I would have probably punched him in his stupid, smiling face. God, my hands are still tingling with the need to punch something. I need another shot.”

Oliver complied immediately, pouring both of them another shot. Felicity squeezed her eyes shut, sucking in a deep breath. The hold on her shot glass tightened so much that she almost broke it. As much as she tried to gain some control over herself, she just didn’t succeed.

When Felicity opened her eyes again, she found Oliver’s eyes on her. He looked at her, a deliberating expression in his eyes. His lips were puckered.

Felicity felt heat rising to her cheeks. She shouldn’t have talked about this to him. They were friends to some degree, but the sex was the center of their connection. Pouring out her heart to him like this and showing how vulnerable she really was had been a mistake.

“I am sorry,” she said with a sigh, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t bore you with my problems. I will go to bed. We can catch up on the sex tomorrow and-”

Just when Felicity had gotten up on her feet, Oliver took her shot glass from her, grabbed the bottle of vodka and laced his fingers with her.

“If that is what you need, punching something, I am sure I can help.”

Felicity was still frowning, wondering what he had in mind, when Oliver already led her upstairs. Felicity slipped out of her shoes, leaving them at the couch carelessly, and followed Oliver. He led her up the stairs and over the gallery to the back of the upper area where Felicity hadn’t been yet. He opened a door and pushed her through it.

“You have a private gym?” Felicity asked. “Why am I not surprised?”

She really shouldn’t be surprised. Oliver was wealthy and cared a lot about his fitness. Having a private gym in his home made a lot of sense. From what Felicity could see as she looked around, he had only the best equipment here. Of course she wasn’t an expert for sport equipment. She just recognized the brands from some conversation during Robert Queen’s gala.

Felicity was still looking around when Oliver already grabbed her hand once more and pushed the boxing gloves over it. He repeated the same with her other hand. Felicity looked at the red boxing gloves. They made her arms look even thinner. She felt lost in them.

“Okay, hit me.”

Frowning, Felicity looked up to see that Oliver had grabbed a boxing bad and was holding it in front of him for her to use as a punching bag. When Felicity lifted her gaze to his eyes, Oliver perked up his eyebrows. She knew it was a wordless encouragement, but she couldn’t get herself to follow his order.

“Hit me. It will help.”

Felicity looked at the boxing gloves once more. She lifted her hands a little, getting into the right position to punch the boxing pad. Again, she couldn’t get herself to do so though.

“That’s ridiculous.”

She released a tired chuckle that ended in a sigh and shook her head. She lowered her hands again and was already about to take off the gloves when something bumped against her head gently. Felicity lifted her gaze, frowning at Oliver, who looked at her a little bit too innocently.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

Oliver shrugged his shoulders and hit the boxing pad against her head playfully once more. Felicity wasn’t sure if she should be amused, annoyed or angry. When Oliver hit the boxing pad against her head once more, Felicity decided it should be the latter. With one quick movement, she lifted her hands the way she had seen in movies when people were boxing and threw a punch in the direction of Oliver’s stomach. He reacted fast enough to let her gloved fist meet the boxing pad instead.

“Good,” Oliver said with a somewhat proud smile. “Next time you hit, turn your hip forward to use your whole body.”

Felicity tensed her arms and threw another punch at the boxing pad in Oliver’s hands. He didn’t tumble back. He took the hit effortlessly. Of course he did, Felicity thought to herself, he was much stronger than she was. Still, she could feel that the second punch was already a lot stronger than the first.

“Better,” Oliver agreed with her impression. “Now punch even harder.”

It continued like that for a while. Felicity punched him, and Oliver gave her an advice how to improve her punches. She put all her anger at her father into her punches, using as much force as possible. She was sure that Oliver could take it. He didn’t seem the slightest bit strained actually.

Soon, her anger turned into fun. She forgot about meeting her father and about all her anger. She just focused on the moment and on making the most of this experience. It really was a lot of fun, especially when Oliver told her to use some combinations of punches, and the fun increased once more when he started avoiding her punches. Felicity had to chase him all through the private gym, trying to land a hit and avoid his playfully hits too.

While it was a lot of fun, it was also quite exhausting. Felicity felt herself out of breath soon. Her muscles were aching. There was a stitching in her side. The alcohol that they continued to enjoy didn’t help to keep her focused either.

Soon, she felt the need for a pause. She sat down on the training mats, grabbing the bottle of vodka and taking a sip right from it. Oliver chuckled at the side, but he followed suit, taking the bottle from her and taking a gulp himself.

“What’s that?”

Felicity nodded to an indescribable thing that looked more like a forgotten part of scaffolding than a piece of sports equipment. She actually doubted that it could be used for anything sports related.

“That, my friend,” Oliver replied with a wide smile, “is a salmon ladder.”

“A what?”

Oliver chuckled. He thrust the bottle back into Felicity’s hand and walked over to that thing for the lack of a better word. He grabbed the bar that was rested between the two parallel piles and shot her an intent gaze. Felicity cradled the bottle of vodka to her chest and nodded, letting him know that she was watching.

Felicity perked up her eyebrows when Oliver started moving. He jumped up and climbed the ladder by lifting the bar rung by rung. Event through his Henley, Felicity could see the defined muscles of his torso working hard to get him further up the ladder. He looked incredibly sexy as he was swinging up the ladder oh so effortlessly.

Never stopping to look at him, Felicity lifted the bottle of vodka to her lips and took another couple of sips. By now, she barely noticed the burn of the liquid.

Oliver continued to show her the use of the salmon ladder for a while. Whenever he reached the top bar, he jumped down to the floor and started from the beginning again. There was no pause, no unevenness in movement. It looked so easy when he did it.

“Okay, my turn!”

Felicity had no idea what got her to think that she could actually do this. She guessed it was a mixture of how effortless Oliver made it look and the alcohol clouding her judgement. Without wasting another thought on it, she placed the vodka on the floor next to her and got up from the floor. She moved so quickly that she would have probably stumbled over her own feet if it wasn’t for Oliver’s hand holding onto hers all of a sudden.

“Not so quick, Darling.”

Felicity didn’t respond to that. She just walked over to the salmon ladder. Only when she was standing there, looking at the bar at the topmost rang, some doubts started raising in her mind. She puckered her lips.

“Wow,” she said. “I knew I was tiny, but now I feel even tinier. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea, and I should- Oh!”

Felicity had been so distracted by how high the bar rested that she hadn’t noticed that Oliver had already stepped behind her. While she had still been wondering if this had been a bad idea, Oliver had put his hands to her hips and lifted her. She reached out her hands automatically, grabbing the bar over her head and pulling herself up until it rested against her stomach. She leaned her torso forward, leaning over the bar.

“Wow, this must be the view of someone who is tall.”

Oliver chuckled under her. He walked around the salmon ladder, so she could see him. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, bobbing up and down on his feet.

“I think you would have to be a giant to be that tall.”

Felicity giggled. “I am a dwarf.”

Rationally, she knew this wasn’t even funny. Her reason just didn’t work as well as it should. Oliver seemed to get to the same conclusion because he chuckled, perking up his eyebrows.

“I think you need to turn down on the vodka a little, Darling.”

“Turn down? Are you kidding? We are just getting started.”

Felicity swung her legs back and forth. She could actually hang around here forever. It seemed to be fun. Maybe it wasn’t exactly comfortable, but she could endure it.

When Felicity’s eyes found Oliver’s again, she noticed the almost worried expression on his face and frowned.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly and lifted his hands in a gesture of meaning no harm. “I just want to know if you are okay. Since I have experience with terrible encounters with fathers, I know that there will be a time when all the anger calmed down that you will just feel down. You helped me through that time when all the drinking and fooling around didn’t help anymore, and I want to do the same for you.”

Felicity scrunched up her nose. She knew he was right. She had seen it with him, and she had experienced it herself when she had been a kid too. Of course she hadn’t been trying to distract herself with drinking back then, but she had stuck her nose into the books and tried her best to be the best student in school. She had never been satisfied with herself and always tried to improve her skills to a point that she had almost passed out. She hadn’t had anyone to open up to back then, so she had just bottled up all of her feelings and pushed them down.

“I don’t want to talk about my dad because, if I talk about my dad, all the fun is going to stop.”

Oliver cocked his head, smiling at her comfortingly. He grabbed the bottle of vodka and held it out for her.

“Maybe a few sips of this will help.”

Felicity agreed, so she took the vodka and took some gulps, squeezing her eyes shut as she drank. When she handed the bottle back to Oliver, he took some gulps of his own before he put it back to the floor.

“There isn’t much to say.” Felicity shrugged her shoulders as much as that was possible as a lot of her weight rested on her arms. “He left. He’s an ass. I hope I will never have to see him again as long as I live.”

Oliver sat down on the training mats, stretching out her legs in front of her and resting his weight back on his hands. He looked at her with slightly cocked head, just waiting for her to continue talking.

“He is a terrible father, right?”

“Without any doubt,” Oliver agreed, nodding his head.

“He is not even worth spending a single thought on.”

Again, Oliver nodded. After a moment, he sighed though.

“Unfortunately, it’s just not that easy.”

Felicity lowered her eyes, knowing he was right. It hadn’t been easy back then, and it wouldn’t be easy now. Banning someone from your thoughts was impossible, no matter how much you told yourself that the person you didn’t want to think about wasn’t even worth a single moment of your time.

“I have to try, you know?” Felicity whispered, still keeping her eyes lowered. “If I think about him too much, I will feel the same way I felt all those years ago when he left.”

She remembered sitting in her bedroom and crying her eyes out. She had thought that she had been the reason her father had left. She had felt like she hadn’t been good enough – not smart enough, not talented enough, not pretty enough – for her father to stay. She had felt broken, and she had worried that nobody would ever love her. Why would someone love her when not even her father, the man who had helped creating her and who shared DNA with her and who had helped raising her, loved her?

“I don’t ever want to feel that lost and broken again. Can you understand that?”

“Of course I can.”

Oliver’s response came without any hesitation. It made Felicity lift her gaze again, and her heart stumbled a little at what she saw in his eyes. There was no pity there, no sign that he saw in her what Felicity saw in herself. There was just understanding because just like Felicity he didn’t have the best relationship with his father.

“I told my father to go to hell,” Felicity said and wondered if her voice was slurred, or if she had just trouble hearing. She didn’t waste another thought on it though and just continued, “You should do the same with your dad, you know? He’s terrible. I don’t like him at all. If my company didn’t depend on this project, I wouldn’t even work with him. He’s horrible to me, and he’s terrible to you. Tell him to go screw himself, so you can find out what you really want from your life.”

Oliver’s lips widened to an amused grin.

“I like the drunk you. It’s so refreshing when your tongue is that loose.”

A saucy response crossed her mind, but she forgot about it quickly.

“You’re an adult,” she continued instead. “If a job at the office doesn’t make you happy, you have to find your own way to happiness. If you want to lead a club, lead a club. If you want to be a firefighter, be a firefighter. If you want to be an escort with special serviced which I can attest you would have great success with, then do that. What your father wants you to do shouldn’t matter.”

Oliver’s grin had turned into a sad smile. He sighed, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

“He will get angry.”

“It’s not like he will ground you.”

Felicity snorted, realizing that her voice was definitely slurring now. She didn’t care though. The vodka was making her feel much more at ease. She swung her legs back and forth.

“No, he won’t ground me,” Oliver said in the meantime, “but he could have another heart attack, and I am not sure that he will survive that. I hate my dad with a passion for what he did to my mom and for how his actions made our family fall apart as well as for how he treats me and forces me into a job I hate. Still, I don’t want him to die. Is that weird?”

Felicity cocked her head, smiling empathically.

Whenever she had thought that she wished her father was dead, she had found herself praying that he was okay a few hours later. There were so many people who had done far worse than him. There were so many kids that begged for their parents to be okay. She had no right to hope for his death.

“Of course it’s not.” Felicity sighed. “No matter how much we hate our fathers, we still want them to live. We are good people.”

Oliver smiled. “I think I am since I met you.”

That made Felicity stop. Her heart skipped a beat before it started racing in her chest. Her breathing faltered, and her lungs fought hard to reject the air she tried to take in. She tried to reply, but no sound came out. She didn’t know what to say to that anyway.

Had she really had such an effect on Oliver? She doubted it. He had been a nice guy when she had first met him. Maybe he had been a little grumpy, but being left by his longtime-girlfriend and being forced into a job he hated by his dad could make a person a little bit grumpy.

“Looks like we have the same fracked-up past,” Felicity said and leaned her upper body further forward almost like she wanted to do a somersault around the bar, but she stopped herself quickly when she realized that it made the spinning only worse. “Or at least we have the same fracked-up luck with our fathers.”

Oliver nodded slowly. “If we had met under different circumstances, we might actually make a great couple.”

Felicity looked at Oliver with surprise, unsure what to say to that. The alcohol made it hard to process his words appropriately.

“I think I need more vodka.”

 

* * * * *

 

“I think I need more vodka,” Felicity repeated on their way towards the bed several hours later. “Why don’t I get more vodka?”

“We don’t have anything left.”

“You’re lying.” Felicity gasped for breath, but it ended in a hiccup. “Where is it all gone?”

“Probably into your stomach.”

Felicity snorted, but again it ended in a hiccup. “Like you drank less than I did.”

“You are right. I probably drank just as much.”

“Ha!” Felicity turned around to Oliver with so much sway that Oliver had to wrap his arms around her waist tightly to keep her from tumbling backwards. She poked her forefinger against his chest. “See?”

“See what?”

“You are drunk too.”

“I can still talk normally,” Oliver replied. He frowned quickly though. “At least mostly.”

Felicity giggled almost a little bit hysterically and leaned more against Oliver. She continued poking her forefinger against his chest, feeling some weird fun at doing so. For a short second she wondered if her voice was really as slurred as Oliver’s words made it sound. She lost that thought soon though. The alcohol made it hard to focus on anything for longer than three seconds.

“Maybe we should grab some of the food from the fridge.”

Felicity scrunched up her nose. “I actually think I need to throw up.”

Oliver nodded. “Do you need me to hold your hair?”

“No.” Felicity giggled, poking his chest once more. “But you’re a good friend for offering.”

“I’m trying.”

Felicity patted his chest briefly before she turned around and stumbled the rest of the way to the bathroom. She had just enough time to kneel down in front of the toilet and lift the toilet lid before all the vodka worked it way back out of her body. Her stomach cramped painfully while she was throwing up.

She washed her face and brushed her teeth before she took off her clothes and dropped them to the floor carelessly. She glanced at her pajamas shortly, but she couldn’t get herself to put them on. Sleeping naked sounded perfect.

Felicity fell into bed with a groan. She tried to focus on the ceiling, but everything was spinning so badly. She squeezed her eyes shut, but it made everything worse.

A cold hand on her forehead caused her to open her eyes again. Oliver was leaning over her face, looking at her with worried eyes.

“Are you okay?”

Felicity grunted. “Not really.”

He put a glass of what Felicity hoped was water because if it was more vodka he had found downstairs she might have to throw up again and some aspirins on the nightstand next to the bed. He grabbed her leg and pulled it out of the bed, so her foot was placed on the ground.

“That’s going to help making you a little bit steadier.”

Again, Felicity just groaned. She put an arm over her face, closing her eyes once more. She didn’t feel as terrible as she had before this time, but the spinning still hadn’t stopped. Felicity couldn’t remember when she had drunken this much the last time. It had probably been in college, and she remembered now why she avoided drinking too much alcohol.

When the mattress next to her dipped, Felicity lifted her arm from her face and turned her head. Oliver was lying next to her now, resting on his side with his head propped up onto his hand. He watched her closely, playing with a strand of her blonde hair.

“Why don’t you need to throw up?” she asked him with a frown. “And why aren’t you feeling dizzy?”

“I am used to vodka,” Oliver answered with a chuckle and kissed the tip of her nose. “And now try to catch some sleep.”

Felicity screwed up her nose for a moment, squinting at the tip of it like she expected an imprint of lipstick where Oliver had kissed her. Soon, her lids were feeling heavier and Felicity found herself unable to fight it. Her eyes were slipping shut.

“Oliver?” she mumbled when she was already half asleep.

“Hmm?”

“I think you need to teach me how to be friends with vodka.”


	11. No reproaches for being each other's last priority

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting on time today. ;)

Felicity would probably go crazy if she was here, Oliver thought to himself and had to bite back an amused grin at that thought. With skeptical eyes, he watched the doctor typing some words on the keyboard of his computer. He used only his forefingers, letting them hover over the keyboard until he had found the right key to use. After every letter he typed, he lifted his gaze to the monitor, checking if he hadn’t made a mistake.

“Mr. Queen?”

Oliver almost flinched at the sound of his name. His eyes lifted to the doctor’s face. With surprise, he found that the doctor was looking at him over the golden frames of his glasses. He had been too distracted by the doctor’s slow typing technique as well as the reaction he imagined Felicity to have to this. He had no idea what the doctor had said to him that made him look at him like that now.

“I am sorry,” Oliver hurried to say, clearing his throat and putting on a polite smile. “What were you saying?”

“I explained that you are going to receive the results in a letter as soon as the laboratory finished the analysis. We are only going to call you about the results in case we found anything to talk to you about,” he explained, sounding mildly annoyed for the necessity of repeating himself. “Is 2308 Vine Street still your address?”

“Yes.” Oliver nodded his head. “When will the results be ready?”

“By the end of the week I assume,” the doctor – Oliver tried but failed to remember his name – replied. “Usually, the laboratory is quick with these kinds of examinations. If there is no sudden epidemy keeping our lab workers from their everyday business, you should receive the results soon.”

Oliver liked the prospect of showing the piece of paper that proved him clear of any STD to Felicity so soon. Since she had addressed that they could have sex without condoms as long as they were both healthy, Oliver hadn’t been able to stop himself from imagining what sex with Felicity would be like without any barriers between them. He found his thoughts drifting away from work and towards the idea of thrusting into Felicity without the condom preventing him from feeling all of her.

Oliver had always enjoyed sex. Once he had gained a little practice and found out what was necessary to make it all the more fun, he had enjoyed it so much that he had considered sex a serious hobby of his. Luckily, Helena had been just as eager to spend a lot of time exploring all the ways they could increase their pleasure as Oliver had been. Despite his worries that a relationship could actually decrease the fun or creativity of sex, Helena had proved him wrong.

Now that he was sleeping with Felicity, he realized that something had been missing in all those years he had been with Helena nonetheless. Sex with her had been great, but only now with Felicity Oliver felt like he could easily become addicted to sex. He couldn’t even say why that was the case, but it was his honest feeling. He was sure that impression would only increase if he would be able to feel her completely.

Oliver thanked the doctor and said his goodbye. Two minutes later, he was already strolling down the hallway. He had never liked hospitals. The smell of disinfectant was stinging in his nose. The lowered voices of nurses and doctors, whispering while they worked past him, mixed with the sounds of crying that reached to him through the thin walls. Maybe he was just imagining though.

The memory of the night his father had had a heart attack and almost died creeped into his memory. Oliver pushed away every memory of that night quickly. He didn’t want to remember how helpless and lost he had felt, sitting here and waiting for the nurses and doctors to tell him his father had survived or if he had died.

With a deep sigh, Oliver glances at his watch. The traffic shouldn’t be too bad at this time, so he should still make it in time for his planned lunch with Felicity. He hadn’t been sure how long he would have to wait for the doctor to examine him and take the sample for the test. Relief about not missing out on their lunch and worry about his relief spread through his chest in equal measures.

The realization made Oliver’s steps become slower until he stopped completely. He stood in the middle of the hallway, uncertain of what to do or how to feel about that knowledge.

Five days had passed since the night Felicity had come to his apartment, shaken from meeting her father again after so many years without any contact. Oliver’s memory of that night was blurred from the vodka, but he remembered some snippets of that night, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about them.

There was no doubt that Felicity had changed a lot about him and his life since he had met her. He had been angry with his father and Helena and the rest of his world because life as he had known and enjoyed it had been over. He had been forced into a job he hated and a job that he wasn’t even the slightest good at. His girlfriend had left him. Everything had sucked.

Having those short, little meetings of pleasure with Felicity had given him something new to look forward to and something to distract him from his self-pity. That alone would have probably been a lot already. Felicity had, in addition to that, become a real friend though. She had helped him to get through those first weeks of working for his father. She encouraged him to stand up for what he wanted. She didn’t roll her eyes when he said that his life sucked.

Friendships were a good thing. Oliver liked having friends. He had always surrounded himself with a lot of people that he liked to hang around with. Most of them hadn’t been real friends, not the ones you had deep conversations with at least, but Felicity was one of them now.

The problem was that Oliver had never been friends with a woman before, at least not the real kind of friend that you turned to when you had problems or just needed someone to talk to. He was sure that was the reason why those snippets of memory of that night irritated him so much, especially since the fact that they were having sex regularly didn’t exactly help to define their relationship as strictly friendly either.

Being friends, having sex and living together was a lot given that their relationship had started out with casual rebound sex. That drunk night when Oliver had told Felicity that he felt like he was a better person since he had met her and that they would could have made a great couple if they had met under different circumstances wasn’t helping either.

Oliver enjoyed spending time with Felicity. It was impossible not to do so because she was beautiful, funny and intelligent. Maybe he should limit his time with her a little though, at least for as long as they were living together in his apartment. He didn’t want to mess things up between them just because he had trouble seeing the limits of what they had.

Pressing his lips together, Oliver pulled his phone out of the pocket of his jeans. His thumbs were already hovering over the display, ready to send Felicity a short text that lunch had to be canceled, but he couldn’t get himself to type.

He didn’t want to make things more complicated between them, but maybe he was just seeing more trouble than there really was because Oliver doubted that Felicity was seeing a problem. Judged by her reacting the morning after said night, the only thing Felicity had kept from their drunken night was a terrible hangover. Oliver wasn’t even sure that she remembered much of that night. So, he should probably follow suit and pretend that night had never happened, or at least some of those things hadn’t happened.

Oliver pushed his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. Not making a big fuss about this seemed to be his best choice. He would go home, have lunch with Felicity and suggest a quickie before he would head to the office for some meetings with his father.

With large steps, he walked towards the exit. He almost ran into a kid that was too distracted reading a comic with some strange Robin Hood like guy on the cover page. At the last second, he managed to swerve the nerdy, little girl. Oliver chuckled amusedly as the little girl just continued walking. She probably hadn’t even noticed that they would have almost bumped against each other.

When Oliver lifted his gaze, he saw the doors to the hallway of the emergency room falling shut. The short moment he was able to look into the hallway was enough for Oliver to stand still and stare at the now closed doors though. He frowned, wondering if he had really seen what he thought he had seen or if his eyes had fooled him.

The doors opened once more, and Oliver’s frown deepened when his impression proved to be right. Sitting on one of the chairs at the wall, with her hands folded around the trinket of her necklace, was Helena. Her hair that was usually done neatly at any time of the day looked messed. The dark make-up of her eyes was smeared from tears. It covered her cheeks and almost made her look like she was a zombie.

Oliver didn’t hesitate. With quick steps, he walked over to the hallway of the emergency room. He pushed the doors open with so much strength that they bumped against the walls loudly. Gasping for breath, Helena looked up. Her red-rimmed eyes met Oliver’s.

“Oh, Ollie!”

She got up quickly and threw herself at him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she hid her face against his shoulder. It took Oliver a moment to overcome the shock of seeing so much blood on her beige-colored pullover. Worries spread inside of his chest when he wrapped his arms around her body and held her safely against him.

Several minutes passed, and neither of them spoke. Oliver continued holding Helena tightly and stroked his hand over her hair soothingly while she was crying. A thousand thoughts crossed his mind. He imagined all the terrible things that had possibly happened to her. It caused him to go into a frenzy, and it wasn’t long before he couldn’t take the silence anymore.

“Helena.”

Oliver whispered her name as softly as possible, holding back the urgency he felt in his chest. He tightened his arms around her for a moment before he put his hands to her cheeks, framing her face gently, and angled her head back, so he could look at her. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks. Oliver wiped them away with his thumbs. It only smeared her eye make-up more over her cheeks.

“What happened?”

“My dad was shot.”

Oliver felt a wave of sadness rushing through his veins. Not that long ago, he himself had sat here while his father had been fighting for his life. He had felt lost and alone. It had to be the same for Helena. There might have been a time that he hadn’t exactly wished her the best because he had been hurt that she had left him. He would have never wished her anything like this.

Another sob fell from Helena’s lips, and her legs started shaking. Oliver wrapped his arms back around her quickly, leading her over to the chairs at the wall. He pushed her down on one of the seats, taking the one next to her. Helena climbed onto his lap though, snuggling up to his chest and clawing her fingers into his shirt. Oliver hesitated for a moment, unsure what to think about this, but he was sure that Helena needed the comfort, so he just wrapped his arms around her more tightly in response.

Again, Oliver held her while she was crying. Helena’s entire body was trembling. Her sobs almost sounded like she was close to choking, and her heart rumbled in her chest unevenly. Oliver rubbed his hand over her back and hair soothingly, whispering soft words into her ear. It wasn’t much, but it was all he could do for her.

It took almost ten minutes before Helena had calmed down enough. Her sobs fell silent, and her breathing became more even. Her hands loosened around his shirt, and she rubbed them over the back of his neck shortly before she pulled back a little. While she was wiping her hands over her face to dry the tears that had fallen, Oliver considered gently pushing her onto the chair next to him, but Helena was already wrapping her arms back around his neck. Oliver put a hand to her back and the other to her knee, watching her quietly.

“I was standing right next to him when it happened,” she whispered, looking at him with her deep blue eyes. “I didn’t even know what was happening. There were two loud bangs and suddenly my father was falling to the floor, and there was blood everywhere and-“

Oliver patted her knee gently, seeing how much she was still shaken from what had happened. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against his temple.

“They are proceeding surgery. They just took him away, and I have no idea how he is doing. Nobody wants to talk to me. I feel so lost.” Another sob escaped her lips and she pressed her nose to his cheek, breathing him in. “I am so glad you are here, Ollie.”

Sucking in a deep breath, Oliver tightened his hold on Helena’s body. After what had happened to her, she clearly needed someone to be at her side. Once her father was out of surgery or at least stable, he could call one of her friends and leave her alone. For now, he knew it was best if he stayed though. He would have needed someone to sit at his side and hold his hand while his father had been in surgery too.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I am going to stay here until you know more.”

“Thank you, Ollie.”

For the next fifteen minutes, Oliver talked to Helena about this and that. He guessed it wasn’t important what they talked about as long as it distracted her a little bit. Helena didn’t talk much herself. She mostly listened to what he had to say and nodded. He was in the middle of telling her about his current work at Queen Consolidated when a nurse stepped towards them.

“Ms. Bertinelli?”

Helena almost jumped off his lap, stepping impossibly close to the nurse who almost backed away a little. Oliver quickly hurried to get up on his feet too. He stepped behind Helena, putting his hands on her shoulders to keep her from cornering the nurse even more.

“How is my father?” Helena asked urgently. “Is he okay? Can I see him? Is he-”

“Helena,” Oliver whispered.

He squeezed her shoulders soothingly. Helena turned her head and looked at him. Her eyes gave away how unsettled and nervous she was. Oliver could understand that. He knew the sooner she let the nurse tell her what she needed to say, the sooner Helena had certainty about how her father was doing. Looking into his eyes deeply, she sucked in a calming breath and nodded slightly.

“How is he?” she asked the nurse, her voice a little calmer now.

“Your father is stable for now,” the nurse replied with a quiet smile. “He’s currently being brought to his room. He will have to stay in the ICU for the night, but it’s just a measure of safety. The doctor will come to talk to you in a second.”

“Can I see him?”

“Not yet,” the nurse replied. “The doctor will have to decide when it’s safe enough. For now, your father needs rest.”

“Thank you.” Helena pressed a hand to her heart. “Thank you.”

Oliver stroked a hand over her hair. “See? Everything’s alright.”

Helena smiled at him with relief despite the tears in her eyes and said, “Thank you for staying here with me, Ollie.”

Taking in a sniffling breath, she leaned her head against her chest and wrapped her arms around his torso. Oliver rubbed his hands over her back again. Still, he pursed his lips slightly, glancing at his watch. If he just bent the speed limits a little, he could still make it kind of in time for lunch with Felicity. Now that Helena’s father was stable, he was sure she could call a friend to keep her company.

“Should I call Paula?” Oliver asked. “She could come over and support you until you can see your father and-“

“Please don’t go, Ollie.”

Oliver pursed his lips at how small Helena’s voice sounded. She really wanted him to stay, and the way she looked at him with her big blue eyes made it hard for him to turn her down. They weren’t together anymore, and he didn’t owe her anything. Oliver just didn’t want to forget the basics of human decency though.

“You should ask a nurse if she borrows you some hospital clothes, so you don’t have to keep wearing that pullover. I have to make a phone call,” he said, nodding his head. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”

Helena smiled with relief and straightened up onto the tip of her toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Ollie.”

Oliver just nodded once more before he turned around and walked through the entrance hall outside. He retreated to a quiet corner and pulled his phone out of the pocket of his pants. With a low sigh, he dialed Felicity’s number.

“Hi, Honey.”

Despite the tragic circumstances surrounding Helena and her father, Oliver couldn’t avoid smiling. He had turned down on the teasing a little bit after their drunk night, but Felicity was still going strong. He didn’t mind.

“Please tell me you are already on your way to your loft because I am starving,” she said, making a short pause, “for food and for sex to be honest. Really, my morning in the office was so boring that I was honestly considering calling you to distract me over the phone, but then I figured that you wouldn’t like phone sex while you were waiting in the hospital and-“

“Felicity,” Oliver interrupted he gently, failing to bite back an amused smile about her babbling, “I have to cancel our lunch date. Sorry.”

“Oh.”

If Oliver wasn’t completely mistaken, there was disappointment in that little, sighed syllable. His heart missed a beat.

“Yeah, I’m really sorry. It’s just that I-“

“Don’t worry,” Felicity said hurriedly, and the disappointment was even more audible now. “You don’t owe me an explanation. We are each other’s last priority. Our tenth rule, remember?”

Oliver frowned. He didn’t remember the exact wording of their tenth rule right now, but he was sure that the rule didn’t force them to see each other as their last priorities.

“You are not my last priority.”

As soon as Oliver had said it, he regretted it already. Hadn’t he thought about how those blurring lines were making everything more complicated just a few hours ago?

“It’s just that I met Helena at the hospital,” he continued quickly, not giving Felicity the chance to reply to his confession. “Her father was shot, and she needs someone to stay with her for a while.”

“Oh my god, that’s terrible.”

“Yeah.” Oliver sighed. “Her father seems to be stable for now, but she still wants me to stay. I wish it was different, but I think it really might be best if I stay here.”

“Yes, of course,” Felicity said quickly. “We will just delay our date for lunch and sex. It’s not a big deal. Call me if- well, if there is anything I can do for you.”

“I will,” Oliver replied. “Thank you, Felicity.”

“Sure. Bye.”

“Bye.”

As soon as he had ended the call, Oliver squeezed his eyes shut. He really needed to get a grasp on his tongue if he didn’t want to talk himself into trouble. Things would get easier once Felicity had moved back into her townhouse. It would take at least another week, but soon their lives would be more separated again, and that would clear their relationship.

Oliver rubbed his hands over his face and was already about to walk back into the hospital to help Helena through this day when he wondered if maybe Felicity wasn’t the only person he should call. After all, his and Helena’s father had been friends since they had been teenagers. It hadn’t been a deep friendship, not the kind of friendship he had with Felicity, but he was sure that his father would want to know nonetheless.

With a low groan, he searched for his father’s number in his contacts and waited for him to pick up. He resisted the urge to walk back and forth nervously. He and his father still weren’t on good terms. Since he had found out about him and Felicity having sex, his father was actually even colder and harder towards him.

“Oliver.”

Oliver’s grip on the phone tightened. “Hi, Dad. I just wanted to tell you that I just met Helena at the hospital. Her father was shot.”

“What?”

There was honest worry and shock in his father’s voice, telling Oliver that he had made the right choice calling him. His father might seem as cold as ice a lot of times, but Oliver knew that wasn’t actually true.

“Yes, I don’t know any details. Helena’s completely shaken, understandably. Her father is stable now, but, apparently, she’s not allowed to see him yet. She asked me to stay with her for a while,” Oliver explained. “I just thought you wanted to know.”

“Yes. Yes of course I do,” Robert said, still sounding shot. “Thank you for calling me.”

“Of course.” Oliver cleared his throat. “I will cancel all my appointments for the day and-”

“Don’t bother about that. I will ask Becky to take care of it,” his father replied firmly. “You should take care of Helena. I am sure she needs you now. Maybe this tragic incident will at least help the two of you to find yourself back together.”

Oliver wasn’t sure what to say to that. He hadn’t thought about getting back together with Helena for a while. He certainly wasn’t thinking about it now that her father was in the hospital and Helena was in shock about what had happened.

“I have to go now.” Oliver cleared his throat. “I call you if there is anything new.”

“Yes, please. Tell Helena she should call if there is anything I can do for her.”

“I will. Bye, Dad.”

Oliver ended the call and went back to the hallway of the emergency room. Helena walking up and down there. Instead of her pullover, she was wearing a dark red scrub that seemed at least five sizes too big for her.

“Suits me, doesn’t it?”

She obviously tried to sound light, but the sadness still sounded through. Helena seemed to realized it herself because she shrugged her shoulders and rubbed her hands over her face the way Oliver had done before. With a deep sigh, she approached him and wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling her face to his chest. Oliver put his arms around her loosely, unable to do anything else.

“I am really glad you are here, Ollie,” she repeated once more. “I think if we learn anything from moments like this, it’s that life is just too short and we need to make the best of the time we get to spend with the people we love.”

Oliver stayed silent because he didn’t know what to say to that. Of course Helena was right. Moments like these only proved that they needed to make the best of the time they had on this earth by spending it with the people they loved. It was the fact that she said this right after thanking him for being here that irritated Oliver.

These last weeks, Oliver hadn’t wasted a thought on getting back together with Helena again. Now that Helena implicated that there might still be a chance for them to reconcile, Oliver wasn’t sure how to feel about that either. Actually, her words made a different face appear in his mind. It only irritated Oliver more, so he did his best to push that blonde ponytail and thick glass frames out of his mind.

 

* * * * *

 

Leaning back against the brick wall next to the door, Oliver rubbed his hands over his face and scalp for the umpteenth time today.

The day had left him so tired that his entire head hurt, but it was unlike every headache he had ever had. The pain wasn’t seated inside of his pain. It came from the skin covering his skull, almost like it wasn’t attached to the bone safely and could fall off any second.

Lowering his hands, he released a long sigh and glanced at his watch. It was already ten-thirty. Usually, Felicity was long asleep at this time. She needed her sleep given how early she left for work each morning. He had seen the light down from the side way though, so he knew she wasn’t already asleep tonight.

On his way back home, Oliver had actually hoped that Felicity would be asleep. After her face had popped up in his mind the moment Helena had mentioned that she wanted to spend more time with the people she loved, he was still confused. That Felicity had snuck back to his thoughts again and again hadn’t made things easier for him either.

Unlike those sweet, little things he had said her during their drunk night, Oliver couldn’t blame thinking about Felicity today on the vodka. To blame the shock of what happened to Helena and her father instead was a weak excuse too, even in his eyes.

A night of sleep would be just what he needed to figure out what to do with Felicity’s omnipresence in his thoughts. He didn’t know how to deal with that, especially not when Felicity was around.

He wouldn’t be getting a night of sleep before having to face her though, and he wouldn’t figure out any good plan to deal with the situation as tired as he was either. Knowing that, he could as well just get this first meeting with her behind him, so Oliver pulled his keys out of the pockets of his pants and unlocked the door.

The moment he stepped into his loft, he saw Felicity on the couch. Like so often since she had provisionally moved in here, she looked completely comfortable. She had stretched herself out on the couch with one ankle crossed over the other while she was watching a movie. She held a glass of wine in her left hand and a slice of pizza in her right hand. The rest of the delicious-smelling pizza was in a box that rested on her thighs.

“Hey, you’re home.”

“Yeah.”

Oliver sighed. Scratching the back of his head, he looked away from Felicity quickly because he didn’t want to be tempted staring at her. He walked right over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer. He opened it at the edge of the kitchen counter and took a few gulps.

“How’s Helena’s dad?”

“He’s stable,” Oliver replied with another sigh. “Helena got to see him. He woke up an hour before I left. According to the doctor, he will recover completely. He might need physiotherapy for his arm though. The bullet hurt the muscles in his shoulder.”

Felicity nodded. “At least Helena knows he will make it.”

“Yes, at least that.”

There was a long silence. Felicity smiled at him comfortingly, not saying a word. It didn’t take long for Oliver to be affected by her smile. The corners of his lips twitched slightly.

It was the first really calm moment he got today, and Oliver was really glad that he got this. He had probably needed this more than Oliver had thought he would. Now he was relieved that Felicity hadn’t been asleep already.

The thought made him lower his eyes. He looked at his feet like a shy school boy that had a crush on his teacher. He shook his head slightly at that thought. Why was he making things more complicated for himself by thinking this kind of thoughts?

“Pizza?” Felicity offered eventually.

Oliver smiled with relief. “Yes please.”

He approached the couch and jumped over the backrest. He made himself comfortable in the cushions, lying down next to Felicity and resting his head against her chest. She started stroking her fingers through his hair while Oliver was grabbing a slice of pizza.

Only now that he took the first bite of the delicious pizza, Oliver realized how hungry he had really been. As long as he had been distracted with comforting Helena, he hadn’t noticed that he had really needed something to eat.

“You have blood on your shirt.”

Oliver looked down at himself and frowned when he saw the stains of blood at the height of his stomach. He hadn’t noticed them before because there had been so many other things going on, but he assumed that they came from hugging Helena.

“I will just-”

Oliver put his bottle on the couch table and pushed the late bite of pizza into his mouth. He quickly took off his shirt and dropped it to the floor. Resting his head back against Felicity’s chest, he grabbed another slice of pizza.

“It was really nice of you to take care of Helena,” Felicity said eventually. “I am sure she could need your comfort.”

“I was just the first person to be around,” Oliver replied, shrugging his shoulders, “and I think everyone in that situation would want someone to sit next to them and comfort them.”

“Yes, that’s probably true.”

Felicity stroked a strand of Oliver’s hair away from his forehead and kissed his temple gently. He turned his head, looking at her with surprise at the tender caress. Felicity just smiled like it was the most natural thing for her to do though, and it made Oliver rest his head back against Felicity’s chest. He closed his eyes, listening to her heartbeat.

He felt a feeling of calm and home settling in his chest. He knew it should probably only confuse him more, but it didn’t. It was the first thing today that he was really sure about. On this day of uncertainty, this was the one thing he knew he could count on.

“Can you say something please?” Oliver asked eventually.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know.”

Most of his day had been filled with the mixture of sounds in the hospitals. Only a few times, he or Helena had interrupted the silence between them. Helena had barely been able to speak, and Oliver had run out of things to say within less than an hour. His head was still a mess from everything that had happened, and he needed something to clear his mind a little.

Oliver opened his eyes briefly to look at Felicity. He threw the empty pizza box onto the couch table before he snuggled back to her chest and closed his eyes again.

“Just say anything please.”

Felicity hummed softly. Her fingers continued stroking through his hair. Her fingernails scratched over his scalp ever so lightly. Oliver felt the pain of his head decreasing slowly.

“Are Helena and her father close?”

Oliver hadn’t expected a question. He knew that Felicity could talk for hours. She was much more talkative than him, and he would have enjoyed to just listen to her voice for a while tonight. He didn’t mind talking to her either.

“No, they aren’t,” he replied after a moment of thinking about it. “I think they have a kind of love-hate-relationship. Helena doesn’t really get along with her father, but she can’t really live without him either. She’d be heartbroken if he died.”

Oliver fell silent, thinking about it for a moment. When he angled his head back and opened his eyes to Felicity, he found her eyes already on him. There was a quiet expression in her eyes. She wasn’t pitying him. She wasn’t judging him. Like so often, she was just listening.

“It’s the same for me and my dad, you know?” Oliver asked. “I hate him, but I don’t think that I could just shrug off his death either. He used to be a good dad once, and I still remember that dad despite everything. It’s why I can’t just tell him to fuck off and leave. It would be a point of no return, and I couldn’t live knowing that was the last thing I said to him, you know?”

Felicity nodded slowly. Of course she would understand him. She wasn’t on best terms with her dad either. Yet, she didn’t want him to die. She had told him during their drunk night that she was praying for him to live every time she caught herself wishing for his death. As little use as Oliver had for a belief in God, he considered Felicity incredibly strong for praying to her God for a man who hadn’t cared for her in years.

“Days like this make me want to call my mom and Thea to ask how they are doing.”

“You should do that,” Felicity encouraged him. “If you miss your family, you should make contact. I know you feel like your family is messed up, but, just because they are estranged, you don’t have to take sides. I know you are staying with your father because of his health, and I know it might look like you took his side, but we both know it’s not true. You should let your mother and your sister know that. You don’t have to take sides, and, even if you do, it doesn’t mean that you have to stop contact with any of them.”

“It sounds so easy when you say that.”

Felicity smiled quietly. “I know it’s a lot easier said than done, but you can do it.”

Oliver was amazed by her belief in him. Once more, the thought how his life would have been if she had been a part of it earlier crossed his mind. Having someone by his side who believed in him as much as Felicity believed in him had to be inspiring. At least it had to be more inspiring than his father’s harsh words could have been.

Unsure of what else to say, Oliver kissed Felicity’s heart and rested his head back on the top of her chest. He could hear her heartbeat, slow and even. He focused on it, letting the soothing sound wash away the horrifying impressions of the day until he felt completely calm.

It was weird to Oliver how quick he was to forget all his good intentions when it came to Felicity. All day he had thought about how to reaffirm the limits he and Felicity had set for their rebound relationship. Yet, he had thrown it all to the wind at the prospect of spending more time with Felicity.

He guessed he would just have to keep pretending that his hard day was to blame for the inability of resisting pleasure of spending more time with Felicity. Exhaustion wasn’t a good excuse for his inability to stay unwavering, but it was the only excuse he could offer right now. Maybe tomorrow he could think about what to do to limit their relationship back to what they were, friends and rebounds.

Oliver realized by the last second that he was about to drift off to sleep. He flinched at the feeling of falling into nowhere and opened his eyes quickly. His gaze settled onto the TV, and he frowned at what he saw there.

“Is that a dancing and singing crab?”

Felicity chuckled. “Yes.”

Oliver frowned, narrowing his eyes slightly. He had never seen a dancing crab, especially not one with gold and treasures on its shell. That the crab was singing about being shiny was only deepening his frown.

“Is that a movie for children?” Oliver asked. “Because this is highly disturbing.”

Again, Felicity chuckled. “The movie’s called _Moana_. It’s one of the latest Disney movies, and one of the best if you ask me. There is a lot of amazing music, and the story is actually really nice too. Moana is the daughter of the chief. All her life, she feels like the ocean is calling her, but she’s not allowed to leave the island. Her father thinks it’s too dangerous. Even when the island is threatened to turn to ashes because a demi-god stole the heart of a goddess thousands of years ago, he doesn’t want her to leave. Moana doesn’t listen and leaves nonetheless. It’s an adventurous trip with the not-so-helping support of an arrogant demi-god and that crazy crab.”

“Sounds interesting,” Oliver replied, “except for the part with the crab maybe.”

Felicity chuckled. It caused her chest to heave which, in return, made Oliver’s head jump up and down. He chuckled too. Sneaking his arms around Felicity’s waist and under her body, Oliver snuggled his cheek against the top of her chest once more.

They watched the movie quietly. Oliver did his best not to move. He just timed his breathing with Felicity’s and listened to the beat of her heart. Her fingers stroked through his hair and over his back. The touch was light and gentle. It almost tempted Oliver to fall asleep right there on top of her.

When the credits rolled, Oliver stretched himself slightly. The exhaustion had now taken over completely. It was only a matter of time until he would fall asleep.

“I think it’s time for you to go to bed,” Felicity whispered and kissed the crown of her head. “I am not sure it’s safe for your back to sleep here.”

Oliver released a mixture of a groan and a hum. He knew Felicity was right, but the idea of moving away from this position didn’t seem appealing at all. He turned his face, pressing his nose to the top of her breasts and breathing her in. He could feel goosebumps spreading on her skin, and Oliver couldn’t bite back a smile at that.

With a low groan, Oliver propped himself up onto his forearms. His face was hovering right over hers. The tip of his nose bumped against hers slightly whenever they took in a breath at the same time. Oliver watched her closely, seeing how tired she seemed to be now too. Still, she was just so very beautiful. It carried him away enough to let a question spill from his lips.

“Are you coming to bed with me?”

Technically, the question wasn’t crossing a limit. As rebounds, they were sharing a bed rather often. The question didn’t have to be taken as more as what the words were saying. Yet, he could see in the quite surprise in Felicity’s eyes that maybe she could hear that there was more to his question. She might not be able to put a finger on it what this more was, but neither could Oliver. All he knew was that, right now, he wasn’t confused about how he felt and what he wanted. With Felicity here, it was all so very clear.

As if she was reading his mind, Felicity put her hands to his cheeks. She framed his face gently and held his head with a lot of care, almost like he was a great treasure to him. Her eyes were intent on his, but she glanced at his lips briefly every once in a while. A feeling of content settled deep in his chest in response to it.

Felicity lifted her head off the pillow and captured his lips in a gentle kiss. She pulled his bottom lip between hers and sucked lightly. Her fingertips stroked through the short hair at the nape of his neck at the same time. It elicited a low moan of content from him that Felicity used to stroked her tongue against the roof of his mouth in one long stripe.

Oliver’s entire body started tingling with more than the desire to thrust into Felicity and reach a peak of pleasure that would leave him exhausted enough to assure him of a peaceful night of sleep. There was more about this tingling and there was more about this kiss, at least for him. He wasn’t sure if it was the same for Felicity, and it honestly didn’t matter right now.

Deepening the kiss, Oliver snuck his fingers under the hem of Felicity’s top. He spread his hand on her stomach, enjoying the soft feeling of her skin against his calloused fingertips. Her back arched off the cushions, making her stomach press more against his hand. He could feel her ribs and couldn’t stop himself from brushing his fingertips over them. Felicity moaned in response, and he could feel the vibration echoing through her chest.

Oliver broke their kiss for a short moment, just long enough for him to take off her top and throw it over the backrest of the couch. She wasn’t wearing a bra, so her naked chest pressed to his when Oliver lowered himself back on top of her. He moved his hips slightly, rubbing himself against her through both of their pants. A moan fell from Felicity’s lips in response, but Oliver was quick to cover her mouth with his and swallow the sound eagerly.

Felicity’s hands moved from the back of Oliver’s neck down his back. Her short fingernails dug into his skin slightly, scratching him ever so lightly. Oliver growled, enjoying the rough treatment that was followed by the gentle touch her palms when she moved her hands back up to his shoulder blades.

When her fingertips stroked down his back the next time, moving along his spine before following the bottommost costal arch to his front. She stroked over hands over his abs for a moment before lowering to the waistband of his jeans. She had already unbuttoned it and was busy with the zipper when Oliver grabbed her wrists and pushed them away gently. He could feel Felicity’s surprise in their kiss, but he just stroked his tongue against hers reassuringly.

Tonight, Oliver didn’t want to hurry anything. He didn’t want to rush through things to get his release. He wanted to take his time and explore Felicity’s body with his hands, his lips and his tongue.

Letting actions follow his thoughts, Oliver broke his lips from Felicity’s. He brushed them against the corner of her mouth before peppering a long path of kisses to her jaw and from the side of her neck over her chest to her breasts. With his lips still on her skin, he lifted his gaze to Felicity’s face. She had caught her bottom lip between her front teeth, and her eyes were screwed shut in pleasure like she knew exactly what was about to come.

Oliver pressed more weight down on Felicity’s hips, keeping them from moving. He kissed his way to her right nipple that was already hard and blew a breath against it. Felicity gasped for breath. She tried to arch her back off the couch, but Oliver kept her pinned down. He enjoyed seeing her struggle, but he wasn’t in the mood for teasing her.

Keeping his eyes on her face, Oliver licked over her nipple. A strangled moan fell from Felicity’s lips, and it sent jolts of pleasure right to his cock. He pressed his hips into the cushions of the couch, trying get some relief, but it didn’t help.

He focused on pleasuring Felicity instead, licking and nibbling at her nipple. He enjoyed the sounds she made in response and the way her body was squirming beneath him. Her hands were rested on his shoulders, her fingernails digging into his skin. He was sure she was leaving red marks in the form of sickles there. Oliver didn’t mind. It was quite the opposite. It turned him on more and more with each second.

Eventually, Felicity pushed at his shoulders. It took him a moment to get it, but he quickly pulled away. Lifting his head, he looked at her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and chest was heaving from her erratic breathing. The glint in Felicity’s eyes told him that she didn’t want to stop. She just needed things to be moved along.

Oliver followed her wordless request willingly. His cock was rock hard by now, and he had trouble resisting the urge to thrust against the cushions of the couch to release his need a little. Hooking his fingers into the waistband of her sweatpants and her panties, he pulled them down her long legs in one go and dropped them to the floor.

Felicity was lying in front of him completely naked now. In the dimmed light of the loft, he could see her soft curves as well as ever little mole that marked her alabaster skin. Moving his fingertips over her knee, he watched her. She was incredibly beautiful, but he doubted that she could see it because he noticed the slight nervousness in her eyes. She seemed to have trouble not to cover her body for his eyes.

Not wanting to tease her to make her feel uncomfortable, Oliver leaned back down. He kissed from the underside of her breast down over her soft stomach to her hip. He bit into it gently, making Felicity hiss out, but it ended in a chuckle when he let his fingertips dance over her ribs to tickle her. Smiling, he rested his chin against her hip, watching her for a moment.

Soon, before Felicity’s eyes could meet his, Oliver let his lips continue their way down her body. He stopped right over her clit to put her legs over his shoulders and adjust his own position on the couch. Without waiting any longer, he wrapped his lips around her clit and sucked lightly.

Felicity moaned out loudly. Her back arched off the couch, and it made her press more against his flat tongue. Her hands were moving around, searching for something to hold onto. The couch didn’t offer any hold though, she her fingers eventually clawed into his hair. She pulled him closer toward her, encouraging him to do as he pleased.

Oliver accepted that invitation gladly. He licked a long path from her clit to her opening. He circled it with his tongue for a moment before thrusting his tongue inside. She tasted as sweet as she had the first time he had tasted her the night Felicity had provisionally moved in here.

He thrust his tongue in and out of her wet heat slowly, eliciting moan after moan from her. Every once in a while, he pulled his tongue out of her and licked back up to her clit. He settled for a slow rhythm that Felicity answered with careful thrusts of her hips. The heels of her feet pushed harder into his back, anchoring her to him to give her more leverage to thrust against his lips.

Soon, small drops of sweat were building on Felicity’s chest and running down her body. They rolled against Oliver’s hands that rested on her stomach loosely. Her breathing was so erratic that Oliver wouldn’t be surprised if she was getting a hiccup. It would certainly add some fun to this.

Before that could happen, Oliver moved his lips back to her clit though. Just when he started sucking, he thrust two fingers into Felicity’s tight channel. It was all she needed for a strong wave of pleasure to take her away. Felicity’s lips opened in a silent cry as her body started trembling. Her soft walls clamped around his fingers, holding them in a tight grip.

“Oliver.”

Her name fell from her lips in a hoarse whisper that made his cock feel even harder. He bit back a little moan, biting down on his tongue firmly instead.

Oliver watched her while the waves of orgasm continued to flow through her veins. He kept thrusting his fingers in and out of her slowly, enjoying the look of deep pleasure on her face. The pink color of her cheeks had spready all the way down her neck to the top of her chest. She looked completely at ease like that, like nothing in the world was bothering her. It just made her more beautiful.

Seconds, minutes or maybe hours passed before the spasms of Felicity’s body stopped. She was still out of breath, her naked chest still heaving, but he could hear that she was starting to relax. The waves of pleasure were slowly ceasing and letting Felicity go of their hold. Oliver pulled his fingers out of her slick center and lifted them to his mouth. Only when Felicity was watching him, he opened his lips and licked her juices off his fingers. The strangled moan as well as the sparkle in her eyes made it all worth it.

As soon as Oliver had lowered his fingers back into his lap where his cock was straining against his jeans almost painfully now, Felicity sat up. Oliver was about to say something, but Felicity was already covering his lips with hers, stroking her tongue into his mouth and climbing onto his lap. Oliver groaned into her mouth, wrapped his arms around her deepened the kiss. Felicity pulled away from him though, making him chase her lips. He growled when she managed to bend her back enough to get her lips out of reach for him to kiss.

“You are overdressed, Mister,” Felicity told him, tugging at the waistband of his jeans teasingly. “It’s time to follow suit.”

Oliver hummed, putting his hands under her breasts and kissing first the right and then the left one. Felicity let her head fall back, releasing an amused chuckle. Her neck looked even more desirable that way, and Oliver couldn’t resist pressing his lips against her pulse point and kissing it gently. Felicity leaned her lips against his ear and tugged at the waistband of his jeans once more.

“Take it off.”

She pressed down on his lap hard, reminding him how much he wanted and needed to take off his pants. Growling, Oliver pushed Felicity off his lap and got up on his feet. He pulled down his pants and his boxer briefs in one go until they were pooling around his ankles. He quickly grabbed the foil package from the pocket then before he kicked the jeans away.

“Let me do that.”

Felicity swiped the foil package from Oliver’s fingers and ripped it open with her teeth. She dropped the empty foil package to the floor and took hold of Oliver’s cock. He bit back a groan at the unexpected firmness of Felicity’s touch. Her fingers wrapped around his length without any hesitation or any restraint.

Despite his best try, Felicity hadn’t missed how much her touch affected him. Her fingers tightened around his length and stroke down to the tip in one slow movement. Her thumb circled the sensitive tip before her hands stroked back up his shaft. Oliver tried to hold back a moan, but he didn’t succeed. Felicity lifted her gaze, an amused grin spreading on her lips. Oliver tried to say something, but no sound other than another moan came out.

Felicity seemed to enjoy his reaction to her ministrations, and most other days Oliver might have let him continue. He was too on edge not to move things further along though.

Pushing Felicity’s hand away gently, Oliver took the condom back from her and rolled it onto himself. He climbed onto the couch, hovering over her. Felicity spread her legs, accommodating his hips. Oliver grabbed his cock and positioned it at her entrance. Their eyes locked onto each other’s before Oliver sank into her wet heat slowly.

She was still sensitive from her first orgasm. He could feel it in the way her walls fluttered around his cock immediately and the way she took in a sharp breath when his cock rubbed against the rippled spot of skin inside of her. Her hands moved out to hold onto his shoulders, but Oliver caught them quickly, holding them in his and pinning them to the mattress. Felicity took in a deep breath at that, but she nodded her head in agreement.

Once Oliver was seated inside of Felicity completely, he stopped and just looked at her. Her pupils were blown wide from pleasure. Her lips were opened as she was panting quietly, and they were red and swollen from their kisses. They looked so wonderfully kissable, but Oliver resisted the urge to kiss her once more.

Instead, he continued looking at her closely as he slowly moved his hips away and thrust back into her just as slowly. Felicity’s back arched, bringing her hips closer to his. Her ribs pressed against his torso, and he could feel her heartbeat against his. A strangled breath escaped her lips. It ghosted over his chin, making his heckles rise. Their fingers tightened around each other’s hands.

They settled for a slow rhythm. Their hips moved lazily, pulling apart slowly before moving together again. Felicity wrapped her legs around his loosely, allowing him to thrust even deeper into her. Their lips were close, breathing the same air and brushing together with every intake of breath. Apart from their breaths and the sounds of the couch, quiet filled the room. Oliver could her his heartbeat, and he almost believed to hear Felicity’s too.

Their eyes stayed locked onto each other’s as they were taking each other in thoroughly. Oliver watched Felicity fighting the heaviness of her lids. Her eyes threatened to roll back into her head whenever he was seated inside of her completely, stretching her walls just the way she seemed to need it. She swallowed down hard several times, and Oliver sucked in a deep breath every time her tongue darted out to wet her red and swollen lips.

Oliver’s pleasure grew slowly. His skin felt more and more like it was on fire. The tingling at the base of his spine increased. He could feel himself getting closer to the peak of his pleasure. Resisting the urge to cover Felicity’s lips in a searing kiss and letting go of the last bit of control he had on himself and let the pleasure wash over him instead was getting harder. Luckily, he could feel in the way Felicity’s chest pressed even closer to his with each of his thrusts and in the fluttering of her walls around his cock that she wasn’t far from her peak of pleasure either.

Unable to speed up his thrusts, Oliver just applied a little more pressure to his thrusts. Felicity released a quiet moan of pleasure the first time his hips snapped against hers. Her fingers tightened around his head, her fingernails digging into the back of his hands.

Oliver could get lost in Felicity’s eyes. The way she looked at him with her pupils blown wide from pleasure, a pleasure he made her feel, and an expression in her eyes like she was looking right into her soul threatened to carry him away. When another hard thrust made something more appear in her eyes, something that Oliver couldn’t name but that was so drawing, Oliver couldn’t resist the prickle of his lips anymore. He covered Felicity’s lips in a soft kiss.

Soon the pleasure was taking him away. It wasn’t like other times when it had felt like a forceful wave was washing over him and ripping him away. Instead, it almost felt like the ocean was taking his hand and pulling him into the water carefully. Oliver was floating in the water, feeling it relaxing him. All the tension in his muscles eased as he spilled into the condom.

Even though his senses were clouded by his orgasm, he could feel that it was the same for Felicity. She moaned into his mouth when she came, her walls gripping his cock oh so tightly. She continued moving against him lazily, getting the most of her pleasure.

It was probably a lazy orgasm for lazy sex. At least that was what it felt like for Oliver, but he didn’t mind. This hadn’t been about a mind-crashing orgasm in the first place, so all of this had been exactly what he had needed tonight.

As their pleasure slowly ceased, Oliver broke the kiss. They were both a little bit out of breath, but they looked at each other quietly for a long moment. The expression that had built in Felicity’s eyes while her pleasure had had been increasing had now taken over her entire face. Still, Oliver couldn’t say what it meant, or maybe he just didn’t dare to.

“We should go to bed now,” he whispered, clearing his throat. “It’s already late.”

Felicity shot him a brief, almost nervous smile. She nodded though, so they pulled apart. They left their clothes where they were at the floor. Upstairs, they cleaned themselves and brushed their teeth side by side. Neither of them said a word, and they both did their best not to let their eyes meet in the mirror.

While Felicity already went back to the bedroom to change into her pajamas and slip into bed already, Oliver stayed in the bathroom a little longer. He splashed some cold water into his face before finally daring a look into the mirror. Drops of water were running down his pale face. Seeing the dark shadows under his eyes only reminded him of how exhausted he really was.

“What are you doing, Oliver?”

He whispered the words to himself, shaking his head. Whatever had happened today and whyever it had happened, Oliver knew it couldn’t happen again. He had felt things today that he shouldn’t be feeling. It would make things complicated and ruin what he had with Felicity. He couldn’t ruin that though. It was good for him.

Vowing betterment, Oliver turned around and walked to the bedroom. He thought about something to say to Felicity, but he found that she was already fast asleep. As quietly as possible, he slipped under the blanket next to her. Resting his head on the pillow, he watched her peaceful face. He brushed a strand of her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.

He could be better tomorrow.


	12. Rule 3: No jealousy

“Oh, look! Maybe now she will-“

When Sara, instead of walking towards her, sat back down on the floor and continued playing with her toy bricks, Felicity let out a frustrated grumble. Sara looked at her with wide eyes. Felicity scrunched up her nose and cocked her head at her little goddaughter. The little girl squealed in response, moving her arms up and down like she wanted to fly.

“You are supposed to show me how well you can walk already,” Felicity told Sara. “Or are you punishing me because I didn’t have that much time to play with you lately?”

Lyla chuckled. “I am sure she is not punishing you.”

“Who knows.”

Felicity winked at Sara, making her squeal once more. She had almost forgotten that it was impossible to be mad at this little sweetheart for long. Maybe she had really not spent enough time with her little goddaughter lately. All the stress, in her private life and at work, had made it hard to find time for Sara.

With a low sigh, Felicity grabbed her glass of water from the table before she leaned in the cushions of the couch. Turning more towards Lyla, who was sitting next to her, she pulled her leg beneath her body. When she saw the thoughtful expression on her friend’s face, she frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Lyla said quickly, shaking her head. “I was just wondering when you do plan to have more time for Sara again. I know you have a lot to do at work, and Oliver’s loft is on the other side of the city and not as near as your townhouse, so there really wasn’t a lot of time. It’s been quite some time now since you moved in here though.”

Felicity didn’t miss the undertone in Lyla’s voice. She might try to sound casual, but she didn’t really succeed. If Felicity was surprised, she was surprised that Lyla had been able to hold that question back for so long. She had actually been waiting for this question for at least ten days now since Lyla hadn’t been exactly thrilled when Felicity had told her that was temporarily moving in with Oliver in the first place.

“Everything will be ready by the weekend,” Felicity replied lightly. “I just talked to the construction ladder, and I can move back in on Saturday.”

“Are you going to do that?”

“Of course.”

Felicity took a few sips of water before she put her glass onto the couch table. She avoided Lyla’s eyes and pretended to watch Sara instead.

If Lyla had asked her about when she was planning to move out last week, Felicity would have had to hide that she wasn’t really looking forward to moving back into her townhouse. She had enjoyed living with Oliver a lot. While the loft was not her style, having some company when she came home from work was actually nice. She and Oliver had had a lot of fun, sexually as well as otherwise. It had been something she had easily gotten used to.

Now things were different though. Since the night Oliver had returned from the hospital after Helena’s father had been shot at, something had shifted between them. Whatever that something was and however it had shifted, it was causing something weird between them. There was tension and not the good one. Instead, it was the kind of tension that made it impossible for them to continue with their usual teasing and that just caused awkwardness most of the time. In the last couple of days, there had been maybe a handful of moments where it hadn’t been weird between them.

Admittedly, things had changed for Felicity before that night already. Since the night Oliver had helped distracting her after seeing her father for the first time in years, she had seen more in him than just a friend. She hadn’t been able to admit so to herself before, but she could admit it to herself now.

Felicity lowered her gaze to her hands. For a short time, she had believed that Oliver had feelings for her too. After the sweet things he had said to her during their drunk night and the way he had looked at her after that, she had really thought so.

She knew better now. Their sex had never been more intense than the night Helena’s dad had been shot at. Oliver had spent all day with Helena, comforting her like the good guy he was, and had come home and had had sex with Felicity, imagining it was Helena there with him. Felicity was convinced of that. Just like she was convinced that the awkwardness between them rooted in a feeling of shame on Oliver’s side. They were friends, so pretending she was someone else while they had sex probably caused him to feel ashamed and made things awkward between them.

The strange thing was that the rare moments when everything between them felt normal again was when they were having sex and the short time after that. At those times, they seemed to be able to forget how complicated things between them had gotten. As soon as those moments were over, it became cramped between them again though.

These last two days, it had actually been that bad that Felicity had spent a lot of additional hours at work. She was leaving early and only coming back late. Usually, just when she had come home, Oliver had jumped up and decided to go out for a run. He was avoiding her.

So, Felicity had to admit that she wasn’t sure what she was feeling at the prospect of moving out. She was relieved to escape the awkwardness of the last days. She also felt sorry for herself because she had had a lot of fun living with Oliver.

No matter what she was feeling, she knew it was best this way though. Oliver shouldn’t have to avoid spending time at home because he was trying to avoid her. As soon as she had moved out, he could end their rebound relationship and finally try with Helena again. That was if he wasn’t secretly dating her already.

Felicity pushed that thought away quickly, trying to swallow down the bitter taste it left in her mouth. She and Oliver might not have taken their rules too seriously, but Felicity assumed that he did like her enough to not start something with Helena before they had ended their little agreement.

“Why wouldn’t I move out?” Felicity asked Lyla eventually, putting on a smile that probably didn’t reach her eyes. “I only moved in because I couldn’t stay at home until that water pipe was fixed and there were no hotel rooms available because of the fair.”

“But you liked living here, right?” Lyla asked. “You and Oliver are-“

For the first time in a while, Felicity was glad when she heard the key turning in the door. While she knew it would probably get awkward between her and Oliver again, at least it wouldn’t get awkward between her and Lyla. Felicity knew her friend too well to think that she would just let this go eventually, but at least she was spared for the day.

Felicity watched Oliver putting his foot against the door, so he could pull the key out again. Without looking, he threw the wad of keys to the kitchen counter and took a few steps into the apartment towards the kitchen are. When he lifted his gaze, his eyes meeting Felicity’s, he stopped so abruptly that John, who had followed him inside, almost ran into him.

During the short moment of quiet that occurred, Felicity took Oliver in. He had just come from a run, so he was breathing heavily. His chest lifted and fell in a quick rhythm. His muscular chest pressed against his grey shirt with every intake of breath. While his defined muscles didn’t show under his shirt, Felicity could see enough to remind her of the muscles she loved touching so much. Fine drops of sweats were running down his face, emphasizing his strong jawline.

Felicity felt a fluttering in her stomach and quickly lowered her eyes, biting down on her tongue. It really was time for her to move out before everything would get even more complicated.

When Oliver cleared his throat, Felicity looked back at him again. He perked up an eyebrow and cocked his head slowly. Even without saying a word, Felicity could see the quiet question if she had really invited friends over to his place. Felicity grinned innocently, making Oliver roll his eyes and continue his way to the fridge.

Smiling, Felicity watched him. This was one of the few normal moments they had had these past days. At least it wasn’t all awkward before she moved out.

John walked over to the couch. He crouched down and kissed Sara’s head before he walked around the couch and kissed Lyla’s head too. She angled her head back to smile at her husband, and John leaned down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss.

Felicity lowered her gaze, almost a little bit embarrassed by watching her friends, and she could see Oliver doing the same from the corner of her eye. When he lifted his gaze too, just enough to meet her eyes, Felicity felt her breath getting caught in her chest.

Not for the first time these last couple of days, Felicity wondered if he knew that things had changed for her so much. Just thinking that he knew that she had feelings for him made a blush spread on her cheeks. She had no idea what exactly she was feeling for him yet which only increased her nervousness thinking he could suspect something.

Unable to hold his gaze any longer, Felicity lowered her eyes again. A heavy weight lay in the pit of her stomach. The awkwardness was back, and it didn’t help the slightest that they weren’t alone. At least if they were alone, they could avoid each other.

Oliver passed John one of the bottles of waters he had brought from the fridge and dropped into one of the armchairs. Sara, who was still sitting on the floor and playing with her toy bricks, watched him for a moment before she put the toy brick she had been sucking at away and crawled over towards him. Grabbing his sweatpants, she used the hold for leverage and pulled herself up onto her feet. As soon as she was standing safely, she reached out her hands for him and babbled some syllables that Felicity couldn’t understand.

“Hi,” Oliver said a little awkwardly, looking at the little girl and stroking his hand over her head. “You should go back to playing.”

Sara seemed to have other plans though. She squealed and tried to climb on top of Oliver. He let her do so without moving. Only when Sara threatened to fall down, he put his hands to her waist and lifted her onto his lap. Sara smiled triumphantly and slid forward as much as possible, lifting her tiny fingers to his face and exploring it. Especially his stubble seemed to be something Sara enjoyed. Felicity couldn’t hold it against her. After weeks of being so close to Oliver, she had never lost desire to move her fingers through his stubble slowly and watch Oliver’s eyes darken at the feeling it rose in him.

Heat spread on Felicity’s cheeks and pooled between her legs. Felicity had to take a sip of water to cool herself down again. Now was not the time to think about sex.

“So, now that we are all together, we could set a date for dinner,” Lyla suggested.

“Dinner?” Felicity asked, perking up her eyebrows.

“You two promised me that we can have dinner together,” John reminded them. “Dinner as friends, remember?”

“Right.”

Oliver grumbled his response more than he was saying it. Felicity guessed he was just as little delighted as she was at the prospect of sitting down for dinner with their friends. As long as things weren’t resolved between them, pretending like everything was okay in front of their friends was going to be incredibly hard.

“We could meet next weekend,” Felicity suggested. “I need this weekend to move back to my townhouse, but maybe the weekend after that could work.”

Oliver’s eyes snapped towards her, and the expression on his face was unreadable.

“You are moving out?”

“Yes.” Felicity put on a smile and nodded. “I talked to the construction leader, and everything is finally fixed. I will pack my stuff on Thursday and take everything with me when I head to work Friday morning.”

There was a brief pause. For the break of a second, Felicity even believed that she saw sadness shining in his eyes. He looked disappointed or at least more disappointed than Felicity thought he would be.

It didn’t last long though. Soon, the sadness in his face was replaced with a wide smile. She guessed that Oliver was just as torn as she was. They had had fun together, but it was time to move out and on. For Oliver, that would mean that he finally got his second chance with Helena.

“Good,” he said eventually. “I was already wondering when I will have the loft back to myself.”

Felicity smiled back at him. She considered teasing him that he would miss her, but she shouldn’t make things even more awkward than they were already. For these next few days, she should keep a low profile.

“Sounds perfect,” Lyla agreed. “Saturday?”

Oliver nodded. “Alright.”

“Great. Eight at ours?”

“Sure,” Felicity replied with a smile. “I am looking forward to it.”

She smiled at Lyla for a moment. She was soon distracted by seeing John from the corner of her eye though. He was looking back and forth between Oliver and Felicity quietly. The expression in his eyes was perceptive like he could see right into their heads and knew what was going on here. His eyes met hers, and Felicity lowered her gaze quickly, massaging the back of her neck.

“So am I,” John said eventually.

It wasn’t long after that that John and Lyla took Sara and left. They all said their goodbyes, and Felicity realized that she wasn’t the only one releasing a breath of relief when the door fell shut between them. The relief didn’t last long though. As soon as Oliver’s and Felicity’s eyes met, the awkwardness came back instantly.

“I should head under the shower.”

Oliver went towards the stairs quickly. He was already holding onto the banister of the stairs, his foot on the bottommost step, when he stopped. Felicity did her best not to look at him, but she couldn’t stop herself from glancing at him repeatedly from the corner of her eye while she was putting away the used glasses from the couch table.

“Are you coming with me?”

Felicity lifted her eyes, looking at him with surprise. They hadn’t even talked about having sex since the awkwardness had started. Either someone had initiated it and they had let it happen, or they hadn’t had sex.

“You don’t have to.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders and pushed his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “I just thought we could use these last couple of days to have some more fun. We were both so busy lately. We should enjoy these last hours that we can screw each other’s brain out as much as we want. Besides, I got my test results this morning, and I am clean, so…”

Once more, Felicity felt heat pooling in her sensitive areas. Since she had suggested that they could have sex without condoms, she had been looking forward to feeling Oliver inside of her with no barriers between them. She longed for that kind of connection because she knew it would make the sexual experience only more intense.

There were at least a thousand reasons why Felicity knew she should say no, and those were only the reasons she could name without thinking about it more thoroughly. Felicity through them all to the wind though.

“I’m coming.”

Screw being careful and keeping her distance! This thing between her and Oliver would end in little time anyway. The least she could do was to make the most of it, meaning get the most of her pleasure from it. She just couldn’t resist.

“Oh, coming you will,” Oliver murmured when Felicity walked past him. “I can promise that much.”

As soon as Felicity had reached the head of the stairs, she grabbed the hem of the dress and pulled the fabric over her head. She dropped it to the floor carelessly and let her bra and panties follow. At last, she loosened her hair from her usual ponytail. Why wasting any time with undressing each other when they could just go right at it?

Oliver seemed to agree with her because he followed suit, taking off his clothes and dropping them on the floor, so they were both completely naked when they reached the bathroom. They continued not to lose any time. Putting a hand on her back, Oliver pushed her into the shower cabinet and switched on the water. Felicity gasped for breath at the feeling of cold water hailing down on her already heated skin, but Oliver swallowed the sound by pressing his lips to hers.

Felicity moaned, straightening up onto the tips of her toes and wrapping her arms around Oliver’s neck as tightly as possible. She pressed her body onto his, enjoying the play of his muscles against her naked skin. The warmth of his body that surrounded her completely when his strong arms wrapped around her and kept her close against him made her forget that the temperature of the water was still too low to pleasant. Her tongue stroked against his eagerly, and she scratched her front teeth against his bottom lip slightly, making Oliver growl.

She was going to miss this Felicity thought to herself quietly. She and Oliver had chemistry for the lack of a better word that she doubted she had ever had with anyone else. Their bodies harmonized completely, moving together like they were magnets. If one moved, the other moved too, just so they could stay pressed together.

Slowly, Felicity let her hands drift down from Oliver’s shoulders over his back. Her fingernails were scratching over his skin lightly. A slight feeling of possessiveness drove her to dig his fingers into her skin just a little more firmly than necessary. She wondered if she was leaving red marks that would remind him of this for the next couple of days, and almost faltered a little when she realized how much she would like that to be true.

Whether or not Felicity liked it, Oliver seemed to enjoy her little roughness. He growled from somewhere so deep in his chest that his upper body vibrated against hers. It sent a shiver down her back and caused her nipples to harden against his chest. It only increased when Oliver tightened one arm around her loosened the other to push his hand to the back of her knee and lift her leg over his hip.

A breathless moan escaped Felicity’s lips as the new position of her leg caused her sensitive wet to press against his cock. He was already hard, slipping between her wet folds so easily as if they belonged together like that. Oliver moved his hips against hers slightly, making the tip of his cock bump against her clit.

Felicity was about to lift her second leg and jump up at Oliver, so she could anchor herself to him and answer to his thrusts more easily. Before she could do so, Oliver walked her back a step until her back pressed against the cold tiles of the wall. Felicity moaned, arching her back and pressing her body more against his heated one.

Oliver lost no time to use the new angle of her hips to thrust into her with one hard thrust. Felicity angled her head back, unable to suppress the loud gasp for breath at the sudden intrusion. Her fingernails dug into the skin at the nape of Oliver’s neck deeply, holding onto him for dear life while she was trying to get used to the feeling of not only having him inside of her but having him inside of her with no barrier between them.

His cock was stretching her walls slightly, enough to make her feel how well-gifted he was but not enough to make her feel uncomfortable about it. It was just the right way to ride the small line between intense pleasure and slightest pain. It wasn’t the first time she realized this, but it was the first time that she really let that feeling sink in.

Oliver, who had been nibbling at the side of her neck so far, angled his head back slightly. Their eyes met, and Felicity was sure that she could see the same intense pleasure in his eyes that had been there when they had had sex on the couch last week. His pupils were dilated like he wanted to take in all of her. His eyes were darkened, the expression in them so intense like it was trying to burn into her skin. It made her body tingle.

With surprise, Felicity realized how ready she had been for him. The longer they stayed unmoving, the more Felicity could feel the clenching of her walls around his cock. She had needed to be filled by him, and now she needed him to move.

Felicity circled her hips slightly, making his hard cock press against her inner walls and causing his lap to rub against her skin. A low moan escaped Felicity, and her eyes fluttered, threatening to close. Felicity fought it. She wanted to continue looking at Oliver, enjoying the way his jaw clenched and a deep furrow formed between his eyebrows as he tried to stay still and not move yet.

While Felicity continued moving her hips against Oliver slightly, trying to get him to move, Oliver moved his hand from the back of her knee over the side of her thigh and hip to her stomach. His calloused fingertips slipped over her wet skin slowly. He spread his fingers against her soft skin and moved them to her ribs. They stayed rested there while her breathing was quickening. She wondered if he could feel how quickly her heart was beating already too.

Felicity could stay like this forever. Pressed against Oliver’s muscular body with the hot water hailing down on him, there was just them. She didn’t have to think about the past. She didn’t have to think about the future. She didn’t even have to think about what exactly there was between them because right in this moment there really was just them.

Slowly, Felicity stroked her fingertips through the short hair at the nape of Oliver’s neck, watching the expression in his eyes. His gaze lowered to her lips briefly, glancing at them, and his tongue came out to wet his lips. When his eyes locked onto hers again, there was a hunger inside of them that Felicity was sure was mirrored in her eyes.

They moved at the same time, closing the distance between their lips. They kissed each other hungrily, moaning into each other’s mouths as their hips finally started moving together. Oliver moved his hips quickly, thrusting in and out of her rapidly like his life depended on it. Despite the hurry, he seemed to meet just the right spot every single time he thrust into her.

It wasn’t long until Felicity could only feel herself being able to take and unable to give back. Her left leg wrapped around Oliver’s hip even more tightly, keeping him from moving too far away from her. At the same time, her right foot slipped on the wet floor and she almost threatened to drop to the floor. Oliver pushed his hands behind the back of her knees and lifted her against him though. Her back and butt moved against the shower tiles while he was pushing her up the wall until she was high enough, so she was perfectly captured between the wall and his body. Her legs wrapped around his hips even more tightly, and Felicity felt Oliver slipping into her even more deeply.

Her lungs were already burning with the need for her, but she didn’t dare to break the kiss. She wanted to continue kissing Oliver for as long as possible. She wanted to feel him moaning into her mouth and be able to swallow those sounds of pleasure. She’d rather take the burning of her lungs than give up on tasting those moans.

Oliver’s hips continued snapping against hers rapidly, and Felicity could feel the tips of her toes already starting to prickle which was usually the sign that she was about to come. When her breathing got even quicker, Felicity pushed at Oliver’s shoulders, breaking the kiss despite the longing of her lips to just feel him again already. Oliver angled his head back to look at her, but he stayed close enough, so she could still feel his breath ghosting over her face.

Her fingers were dug into Oliver’s shoulders incredibly firmly right now, and she only tightened her hold on him when Oliver leaned his upper body back a little and pushed his hips closer to hers as he did so. Without moving much, he continued moving in and out of her slightly, rubbing against her g-spot in just the right way.

The pleasure spread through Felicity’s body, causing her nerve endings to feel like they were on fire. Her muscles to spasmed. Her fingers dug even deeper into his shoulders. Her inner walls clenched around Oliver’s cock tightly, unwilling to let go of him as he continued thrusting slowly to prolong her pleasure for as long as possible.

All the time, her eyes were locked onto Oliver’s. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t be able to close them. She felt like she was a captive of his eyes, caught in the dark of his iris and surrounded by nothing but the deep hunger in her eyes. It was all she wanted and all she needed.

She could be riding the wave of her orgasm forever, but the waves ceased eventually. Oliver tightened his arms around Felicity and leaned against the shower wall completely. His head rested in the crook of her neck and shoulder.

“Oh my god,” Felicity whispered.

Slowly, the feeling returned to her fingers and she managed to loosen her tight grip on Oliver’s shoulder. She could see the deep red marks in the form of sickles where her fingernails had dug into his skin particularly firmly. Smiling, Felicity moved her fingers against the red marks and peppered some kisses to Oliver’s shoulder.

For a long moment, Felicity allowed herself to rest her head against Oliver’s shoulder and close his eyes. She was still holding him as tightly as he was holding her. The hot water was prickling on her skin, and the steam that filled the shower was almost making her feel a little bit dizzy. Oliver was still inside of her, rocking hard.

The last thought made her shift in his arms slightly. Her hips moved against his, and she could feel that it affected Oliver as much as it affected her because his muscles tensed again and lifted his head off her shoulder. His eyes looked slightly unfocussed when they met his. He must have been incredibly close to coming when her orgasm had washed over her, but he must have held back on his pleasure, so they could go again.

Felicity moved her hands over the sides of Oliver’s neck to his cheeks and cupped his face gently. Her fingertips stroked through his short stubble, scratching his cheeks lightly. Slowly, Oliver’s eyes become more focused like he was only now really seeing her again. His pupils only dilated more and his iris grew several shades darker.

Her heart that had been racing in her chest, still pumping blood through her veins quickly in the aftermath of her orgasm. The longer she looked into Oliver’s eyes, the more slowly her heart was beating. Eventually, her heart rate was quiet, almost like she had just woken up from a long, relaxing sleep. Her heart beat in the same rhythm as his like her body knew exactly what he was good for her.

Unable to stop herself from doing so, Felicity captured Oliver’s lips in a gentle kiss. She brushed her lips against his before she finally pressed down a little more firmly. Oliver sighed with content, tightening his arms around her back. He opened her mouth to the touch of his tongue. Felicity granted him entrance gladly, angling his head back to deepen the kiss.

She would miss kissing him when they ended this. The sex was amazing, but kissing Oliver was even better. She could just forget everything around her when he was kissing her. It was the same when she just looked into his eyes.

Even knowing that they had to end this soon, Felicity wanted to hold onto him for as long as possible.

She had tightened her legs around his hips subconsciously. The small shift was enough to wake her hunger for him already though. It seemed to be the same for Oliver because he moved a hand down her back and to her hip, holding onto it tightly while Felicity started moving against him.

Soon, he took hold of both of her hips and pushed her away from him. He slipped out of her, and Felicity’s legs loosened from his hips. Her feet touched the floor, and she was surprised that her legs didn’t just give in right then. Oliver wasn’t letting go of her hips, but he kept her the length of an arm away from him nonetheless. The only touch that connected the both of them was his hands on her hips and her hands on his shoulders.

She frowned, wondering what he had in mind. Her hands were already drifting down his arms slowly, enjoying the play of muscles beneath his wet skin.

“What-“

Before Felicity could ask him what he was doing, Oliver turned her around quickly. His arms wrapped around her body from behind and held her close to him. His left hand spread against her hips while his right hand was moving up her body to her best. His fingertips touched her hardened nipple, and Felicity’s head fell back against his shoulder in response. Oliver lowered his face to the crook of her neck, brushing his lips against her pulse point. His cock pressed against her butt, waking Felicity’s hunger for Oliver with force.

Felicity put a hand to the shelf in the shower to give herself some leverage since her legs were already shaking. She moved her other hand up Oliver’s arm towards the back of his neck. She angled his head for his lips to meet hers.

While they continued kissing, Oliver tightened his arms around Felicity’s body and slowly moved his hips against her behind. They both moaned into the kiss, and Felicity could feel her entire body tingle. Her core clamped down on emptiness, already missing her again.

“Oliver,” Felicity whispered against his lips, not really breaking the kiss. “Please.”

Oliver pulled back, looking at her with intense eyes. He licked his lips, and his tongue almost touched her lips as he did so. Slowly, he moved his hand from her breast to her stomach and over her hip to her back. His fingertips grazed over her butt before he took hold of his cock and positioned himself at her entrance. With one slow thrust, he entered her.

Once he was seated inside of her, he stilled. The positioned didn’t allow Oliver to go particularly deep, but the way his body was wrapped all around her and embracing her in the warmth and smell of his skin was turning her on just as much as his cock inside of her.

Their lips met when Oliver’s hips started moving. He thrusted a lot more slowly than he had before. He moved almost all the way out before he thrusted back in. His hips stilled whenever he was buried inside of her wet heat completely, giving her a moment to enjoy being filled and stretched by him this wonderfully. He circled his hips then, letting her feel him completely, before he moved back out slowly once more.

Felicity’s legs were shaking even more now, and she quickly let go of Oliver’s hair to put both of her hands to the shelve. She angled her chest forward slightly, using her hands to brace herself. Oliver followed her movements, covering her back with his chest and chasing her lips. His arms wrapped around her tightly once more, keeping her as close to him as possible, almost like he tried to become one with her.

They continued moving this slowly. Oliver’s chest rubbed against her back with every thrust that pushed his loins against Felicity’s butt so firmly that a little moan escaped her each time Oliver pushed into her. He swallowed the little sound eagerly and seemed to push just a little harder with each thrust to make the sound come back slightly louder the next time. Their kiss was as slow as the lazy movements of their hips as they were moving without any hurry now.

Felicity wanted to prolong this for as long as possible, and she guessed it was the same for Oliver. He held onto her tightly like he didn’t want her to move away from him even just for an inch. Their hearts were beating in unison, racing in their chests like they were trying to get together for a passionate dance.

Eventually, Oliver spread his fingers against Felicity’s ribs and lowered his hand down her body slowly. His fingertips dipped into her belly button briefly before he let them continue down her body. Without hesitation, he reached between her legs and brushed his fingertips against her clit.

Felicity moaned in response. Her lips fell off Oliver’s, and she let her head hang between her shoulders, squeezing her eyes shut. Immediately, Oliver’s lips explored her shoulders. They kissed away the drops of waters that were running down her skin. His stubble tickled her slightly in the way she enjoyed so much.

With Oliver’s fingers against her clit, the pleasure washed over Felicity once more. A long moan fell from her lips and every cell of her body started tingling. Oliver prolonged her pleasure, continuing to brush his fingers against her clit and moving his hips against hers. His arms tightened around her so much that Felicity could barely breathe, and he hid his face against the side of her neck. A deep growl fell from his lips when he came. His cock twitched inside of her, triggered by the pulsating movements of her center around him.

Unmoving, Felicity took some deep breaths until she was recovering from the frenzy of her orgasm. She didn’t exactly trust her legs to carry her, but she knew that Oliver’s strong arms would never let her down. She trusted him enough to let go of the shelve she had been holding onto and moved her hands over Oliver’s arms, stroking the soft skin that covered his hard muscles. Leaning her head back with a sigh, she rested it against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Oliver lifted his head off her shoulder and snuggled his cheek against hers.

They stayed like that for several moments. They swayed from side to side slowly like they were dancing to music only they could hear. It was almost romantic and, though Felicity knew it should be different, the thought didn’t make her feel awkward at all. If anything, she just snuggled back into Oliver’s arms more.

She had decided to make the best of the time they still had left with each other, and she wouldn’t do so half-heartedly.

They stayed like that for some time before the grumble of Felicity’s stomach made them pull apart with a chuckle. Oliver kissed her shoulder and left the shower cabin first. He grabbed one of the towels and wrapped it around his hips. He got a second towel from the cabinet and walked back to the shower. Instead of just handing it to her, he unfolded the towel for her and let her step into it. His arms wrapped around her body as he was wrapping the towel around her.

“Thanks.”

Felicity wanted to step out of his arms already, but Oliver held her against him. His arms were wrapped around her as tightly as they had in the shower. He kissed the juncture of her neck and shoulder before he snuggled his cheek to the soft skin there, moving his face against her to make his stubble scratch her in that delicious way.

With a little sigh, Felicity leaned back against him. She turned her head and kissed his bicep. Another sigh escaped her when she rested her head there.

“So?” Oliver asked after a moment. “What are we going to do with this evening?”

Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “I have the evening off, so I am available for whatever ideas you have, especially if they include a lot of nakedness.”

Felicity could feel Oliver smiling against her neck, and it caused a smile to spread on her lips too. Apparently, they were thinking alike when it came to how they should spend the last hours of living together.

“I suggest that I cook us dinner, so we will both regain some energy,” Oliver whispered and kissed a path up her neck to her ear. His lips brushed against the lobe briefly before he continued, “Then we will spend the rest of the night having sex.”

“Sounds like a good plan.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Felicity turned around, so her chest was pressed to his. “I like a good dessert.”

“That already makes two.”

Oliver’s eyes sparkled with amusement. He captured her lips in a brief kiss but let go of her quickly.

They dried themselves side by side without saying a word. While Oliver was busy at the sink, Felicity already headed towards the bedroom. Before she stepped into it, she shot a look back over her shoulder though. Her eyes met Oliver’s in the mirror. With a smile on her lips, she dropped the towel to the floor and stepped into the bedroom completely naked. Oliver pushed his tongue into his cheek in response, making Felicity’s smile only wider.

While Felicity was looking around for some clothes to wear, her eyes were caught by the green hoodie that was lying on the bed. It was Oliver’s, but she didn’t care. She grabbed the hoodie from the bed and put it on. It smelled like Oliver and that made her feel only more comfortable in the way too large fabric.

“That’s something I definitely won’t miss either.”

Pulling out an unworn pair of panties, Felicity chuckled. She looked back over her shoulder briefly, seeing Oliver standing in the frame of the door with the towel wrapped low around his hips. He had his head cocked at her, watching her now that she was putting on the panties.

“What?” Felicity asked when she turned back around to him. “Me wearing your clothes?”

“Exactly. I never know what to wear.”

Felicity chuckled, approaching Oliver. She stopped right in front if him and moved a forefinger up and down his chest slowly.

“I don’t mind,” she said then. “I like you most when you are naked anyway.”

Oliver grinned and moved his hands to the back of her thighs. They lifted slightly, cupping the cheeks of her butt that were barely covered by her panties. The tips of his fingers grazed against the slit between the cheeks, not enough to touch and sensitive spot but enough to spark Felicity’s imagination.

“We could spend the rest of the day naked.”

Felicity chuckled. “I decline. Thanks.”

She straightened onto the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek before she turned around and already walked downstairs. She was glad that she and Oliver had found some normality again. Nothing about them having sex in the shower or the way they had interacted since had felt weird or awkward. Maybe Felicity had just made it more awkward than it had been. The more she let herself enjoy those last days with Oliver, the more normal it all felt.

Felicity already poured each of them a glass of wine when Oliver followed her downstairs. He was wearing sweatpants and a white shirt. His wet hair was tousled slightly. He looked incredibly sexy.

“Happy?” he asked once he reached the foot of the stairs and spread his arms, turning around himself for her to see him. “Now that you forced me into clothes.”

Felicity chuckled. “Poor you.”

“I should have suggested naked Fridays earlier.”

“You think?” Felicity asked. “What would your father say if you came to the office naked? Or if he showed up here and saw us naked?”

“He knows that we have sex anyway.”

He shrugged his shoulders and pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants as he approached her. Not saying a word, they clinked their glasses and took some sips of the cold white wine.

“How are things going with your dad?” Felicity asked eventually. “You haven’t said anything about him in a while.”

She almost stumbled over those last words. The truth was that Oliver hadn’t talked to her about his dad or anything since the night that had made everything awkward between them. She didn’t want to think about that right now though.

Oliver shrugged his shoulders once more. “It’s okay. I guess he calmed down once the project really started. He tries to avoid mentioning you when I am around. He’s too busy asking about Helena all the time. Since I called him to tell him that her dad was shot at, he’s been trying to direct our conversations towards her all the time.”

Felicity let out an indescribable sound, something like a mixture of a hum and a choked sigh. She felt her stomach drop slightly at the mention of Helena. With Oliver’s dad trying to get them to get back together, Oliver’s life seemed to slowly return to the right path. He could reunite with Helena and earn his father’s good graces at the same time.

“So, what do you want for dinner?” Oliver interrupted her train of thoughts and opened the fridge. “What would you think of a porcini and spinach risotto?”

“Sounds delicious,” Felicity replied. “I am going to find a good movie for us to watch.”

Taking her glass of wine with her, Felicity walked over to the couch and took a look at the TV program. She glanced back at her shoulder to watch Oliver starting to prepare their dinner and rolled her lips into her mouth to hold back a relieved smile. She was sure that dinner and movies was the best break between rounds of sex. They had to be busy to keep their chances of accidentally addressing sensible subjects that would ruin the mood as small as possible.

“ _Iron Man_ is airing.”

“I’m not really a fan of superheroes.”

“Really? I love those movies. I used to read comics when I was in school,” Felicity replied casually. “ _Fatal Attraction_?”

“If you want me to kick you out before we go to bed, sure.”

“ _Me Before You_?”

“Oh, no. I had to watch that movie with Thea once, and it was terrible.”

Felicity turned her head back over her shoulder, already about to attack him for his withering assessment when he saw the pain in his eyes. Any comment that had been on her lips died, and she cocked her head, looking at Oliver comfortingly.

“Why don’t you call her?” she asked gently. “I am sure you miss you as much as you miss her.”

“I don’t think so,” Oliver replied, not looking up from where he was chopping the mushrooms. “The last time I called her, she was always short on words. I think she’s mad at me for staying here and working with dad.”

“Even if that is true, you should call her.”

Oliver didn’t reply to that, so Felicity got up and approached him. When he still refused to look at her, Felicity put a hand to his until he put the knife away and turned around her with a sigh. He didn’t say anything, waiting for her to talk instead.

“If you want to talk to Thea, you should do so. Let her know that you staying here in Starling doesn’t change that you understand why she left and that you want to stay in contact. Show her that you are not giving up because you love her. Even if it doesn’t change anything for her, at least you can’t accuse yourself of not trying.”

Oliver continued looking at her intently. His eyes were locked on hers, only briefly glancing down to her lips. His fingers on the counters played with hers slightly. Felicity held her breath, and for a moment she almost believed that he would kiss her.

“I should call her,” he said instead. “Thank you, Felicity.”

Felicity smiled and squeezed his hand. Staying at the kitchen counter, she watched him going upstairs and disappearing into the guest room which was one of the three separate rooms the loft offered. She really hoped that she had given him a good advice. She just felt it would be incredibly sad if he lost his sister.

With a glance at the mushrooms, Felicity decided she’d better distance herself from the food. She probably wouldn’t even have to touch them for them to be ruined and not eatable anymore. Setting the table seemed like a much better idea.

She had just finished her self-imposed task when the doorbell rang. She glanced from her watch to the door upstairs where Oliver had disappeared. Either he hadn’t heard the doorbell or he didn’t care. Either way, Felicity guessed it was on her to open up though she couldn’t say that she felt particularly pleased to do so. It was Oliver’s home after all, so it made her feel uncomfortable to open the door. That she was only wearing a large hoodie didn’t make it any easier either.

Clearing her throat and tugging down the hem of the hoodie once more, Felicity readied herself. With her hand already on the handle, she sent a short prayer to heaven that it wasn’t Robert. It would be the worst of time for him to come visiting Oliver now.

“Oh.”

Felicity regretted her choice to pray for Robert not to be the one on the other side of the door the moment she saw Helena Bertinelli standing in front of her. The brunette looked just as surprised as Felicity was sure she looked too. Her alerted cat eyes drifted down Felicity’s body and took her in. Given Helena’s flawless style, Felicity only felt more uncomfortable.

“Hi,” Helena said eventually. She reached out a hand for Felicity. “Helena Bertinelli. You are Felicity Smoak, right?”

“Right,” Felicity replied and shook Helena’s hand quickly. “I am working with Oliver.”

“Yeah, I guess you do.”

Helena’s eyes drifted down Felicity’s chest and naked legs once more. There was something almost derogatory in her eyes and though Felicity knew that there was nothing she had to feel embarrassing about, she couldn’t help but blush.

The moment Helena’s eyes met Felicity’s again, the beautiful brunette squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her hand against her forehead.

“I am sorry,” she said with an honest chuckle. “I have spent all day with former models, and it almost makes me a little… whatever.”

Felicity could see that she meant it. Her eyes were warm now, and it made her look even more beautiful. Felicity wasn’t surprised that Oliver had fallen for her. Helena was beyond beautiful, the kind of woman you saw on the cover of all those high-fashion magazines. Maybe she even was a model. Felicity didn’t know.

“You and Ollie,” Helena said after a moment, narrowing her eyes slightly, “are you-?“

“We are just friends,” Felicity replied quickly, so quickly that she couldn’t bite back a single word of the babble that left her lips next. “I had trouble in my apartment, and Oliver was so nice to offer me a roof over my head since no hotel room was available. I didn’t move in. I am just staying until I can move back into my townhouse which will happen by the end of the week. Oliver will have his loft all for himself again then. Well, or maybe you two will have it together or-“

“Helena.”

Felicity almost flinched at how close Oliver’s voice was. She turned her head in the direction of the voice and was surprised to find Oliver already next to her. She wanted to take a step back, so the two of them had room for themselves, but Oliver stood so close to her that she didn’t have room to step back. Pulling her bottom lip between her front teeth, she lowered her eyes.

“Ollie,” Helena said, and Felicity could hear a warm smile in her voice. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he replied. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

There was a beat of silence, and Felicity could feel Oliver’s eyes on her. She didn’t dare to look up at him though. She didn’t want him to see her disappointment.

“Your timing’s bad,” Oliver replied. “Felicity and I wanted to-“

“Oh, don’t worry.”

It cost a lot from Felicity to say that. She didn’t want to give up her chance of a nice evening with Oliver. She knew that there was no way that the evening wouldn’t get awkward after this conversation though. It was best if she left.

She looked in Oliver’s eyes and smiled thought she doubted that it reached her eyes. Oliver looked at Felicity for a long moment and rolled his lips into his mouth, pressing them together firmly.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Felicity’s smile widened. “I will just go upstairs and leave you two some room. Don’t worry. I actually have a lot of work to do.”

Oliver looked at Felicity with hesitation in his eyes like he wanted to say something. Whatever it was he was about to say, he swallowed it down and nodded with a smile on his lips instead.

“Okay,” Oliver replied. He took a step back. “Come in, Helena.”

Felicity shot him one last smile before she got her wine glass from the couch table and walked upstairs. She didn’t dare to glance down to see if Oliver and Helena were hugging or sitting down on the couch or if he was looking after her maybe. She kept her gaze strictly in front of her, focusing on breathing evenly.

Felicity couldn’t say when she had felt this sorry for her the last time. She felt like she was almost close to tears which was stupid because she had not only known it was going to end eventually but it was going to end very soon. With her eyes wide open, she had decided to enjoy those last days with Oliver before it was all over when really it had been over for a long time already Felicity guessed.

Closing the door to the guest room behind her, Felicity leaned against the cool wood and lowered her gaze to her naked legs. Just thinking about how beautiful Helena was made her stomach turn. Felicity was more than happy with the way she looked. She didn’t need those long model-legs or those super long lashes that probably wrapped everyone around their little finger in an instant. She really didn’t need those, and she wasn’t envying Helena for that.

What she did envy Helena for was the way Oliver would look at her again from now on. Whenever Oliver had looked at her, Felicity had felt incredibly sexy. It was one of the reasons why she had decided to agree to their rebound relationship. After her break-up with Ray, she had needed someone to look at her the way Oliver had looked at her.

She was going to miss that just like she was going to miss sex with Oliver and his kisses and stroking her fingertips through his short stubble. She was going to miss all of that, and that was why she felt sorry for herself though she knew that she had no right to do so.

The truth was that she was that she and Oliver had both agreed on being rebounds because starting something casual with someone casual with someone in the same position was the best way to prevent complications. They could have fun and end it any time. Felicity over Ray and Oliver had a chance to get back together with Helena. There was no reason for them to continue their rebound relationship since neither of them needed a rebound any longer.

It was time to say goodbye.


	13. Rule 7: No ugly scene when one wants to end it

When the door to the guest room closed behind Felicity, Oliver released a sigh that was only audible for him and lowered his gaze to his feet.

Things had become so complicated lately. When he and Felicity had agreed to start their rebound relationship, it had all sounded so easy. They had wanted to keep things strictly casual and just have fun together. They had wanted to distract each other from the pain and disappointment of their broken relationships.

At that thought, Oliver turned his head to Helena, who was sitting on the couch. Her hands were resting on the seat surface of the couch next to her hips, stroking over the soft leather. She looked at the leather almost reminiscently like she was remembering all the times they had had sex on that couch.

All Oliver could think of, when he was looking at it now, was the night he had spent there with Felicity. They had had slow sex there, tying on to an inner connection that had started building all those weeks they had spent together, especially that night after Felicity had seen her father again. That connection between them had seemed so strong in that moment and appeared to be so vulnerable now.

Well, maybe it wasn’t just vulnerable but also quite destructive. Whatever had happened that night made things so weird now, and Oliver hated that. Being with Felicity should have been easy and shouldn’t be so complicated.

Clearing his throat, Oliver stepped closer towards Helena. She leaned back in the cushions of the couch, turning her head a little, so he was seeing her profile. She did so often, looking at him only from the corner of her eyes. Like a typical model he guessed, she always tried to show her best side when someone looked at her.

“She’s sweet,” Helena said with a brief glance towards the door Felicity had disappeared behind. “I wonder how she convinced you to move in here, even if only temporarily.”

“I think you should say what you need to say, so I can continue my evening the way I have planned it.”

Surprise showed on Helena’s face at his words or maybe at the sharpness of his voice. She turned her head, looking at him directly now.

“Ollie, I didn’t come here to pick a fight,” she said gently, a small frown appearing between her eyebrows. She patted the spot on the couch next to her. “Come here.”

Oliver hesitated, but he eventually crossed the distance and sat down next to her. Resting his elbows on his knees, he stared in front of him. He wasn’t able to look at Helena, not yet. Her words about Felicity were still echoing in his head, and there was just a bitter taste to them.

He knew there was no reason for him to get protective over Felicity. Helena had a sharp tongue, sharper than she probably knew herself. She didn’t mean to cause her any harm or even just imply anything. She was just Helena. Still, he couldn’t help feeling like he needed to protect Felicity even from the subtlest implication.

Technically, the sex had been a reason for him to agree to Felicity moving in here. Yet, he didn’t want anyone to jump to conclusions about Felicity just from that.

“Felicity seems to be a nice person.”

Only now Oliver looked at Helena and found the same soft expression in her eyes that had convinced him to go out with her in the first place. Sure, the long model legs and her alert cat eyes had raised his attention, but he hadn’t asked her out on a single date if it hadn’t been for the softness in her eyes that she didn’t allow a lot of people to see.

“She is a nice person,” he confirmed with a smile. “She’s the best.”

Helena perked up her eyebrows. “The best, huh?”

“The best friend I mean,” Oliver backtracked quickly and chuckled, shaking his head. He felt like he was blushing and even thinking about that probably made him only blush even more. “She’s a really good friend, maybe the best I have.”

“What happened to John?” Helena asked. “Or Tommy?”

Oliver shrugged his shoulder. “John is still a good friend of course. With Tommy, it’s been a little bit more difficult lately. I think we are at different points in our lives. It’s not a bad thing. Neither of us did anything wrong. It’s just that we can’t really help each other right now.”

He really hadn’t seen Tommy in a while. Oliver had no interest in clubbing lately, and he knew the clubs of the city were where Tommy still felt home. One day, maybe when Oliver really knew who he was and where he wanted his life to go, he could reach out to Tommy and they could find some new interests they shared. Until that happened, keeping their distance was probably the best they could do.

“A lot of things have changed for you,” Helena agreed. “You have started working for your dad and you’ve suddenly been single again.”

Oliver nodded. “True. I didn’t even choose either of those chances.”

Helena lowered her eyes, smiling almost a little bit sadly. She looked at her long, red fingernails.

“What about you?” he asked eventually. “How is your dad doing?”

“He’s a lot better,” Helena replied, only now meeting his eyes again. “He can leave the hospital tomorrow morning. He will need physiotherapy, but he’s going to be okay. If the therapy works out well, he will regain at least ninety-five percent of his muscle activity.”

“That’s great news, Helena.” Oliver smiled. “I am very happy for you. I know you and your dad have a complicated relationship, but moments like that just show us what we really want and need in life.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s right,” Helena agreed. She took in a deep breath and took his hand. “It’s why I wanted to talk to you today.”

Oliver looked at their linked fingers for a long moment. There had been a time that he had enjoyed Helena’s touch and holding her hand alone had felt great. That good feeling refused to settle in right now though.

“While we have been waiting in the hospital,” Helena said quietly, “I realized that I still love you. I mean we both know that I didn’t break up with you because I didn’t love you anymore. I broke up with you because I felt like our relationship had hit a dead end. We just weren’t moving forward.”

Oliver nodded slowly, waiting patiently for her to continue. He remembered why she had broken up with him. Her words had been spinning around her head for days after their break-up.

“Like you said before, in moments like those we realize what we really want and need in life,” Helena said, squeezing his hand. “What I really want and need in my life is you. I don’t care if it takes another ten years for us to move in together. I don’t care if we ever get married. I just want to be with you.”

Helena looked at him expectantly. She was waiting for him to say something, and she had a right to expect him to say something after what she had just told him. The problem was that Oliver’s head was completely empty. There was nothing he could say because he had no idea what he was thinking about this.

If they had had this conversation a few weeks ago, he would have probably forgotten everything that had happened between them and gladly taken her back without any doubt. He would have felt like at least one of his many problems was solved for now.

Helena seemed to mistake his silence for consent or maybe she was just trying to help him make up his mind. Either way, she leaned in for a kiss. Her lips were almost touching his already when Oliver pulled back.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I can’t.”

He released a sigh, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment and moving his hand through his hair. A part of him wondered if this was a stupid decision because going back to his relationship with Helena would be easy. There was a different part of him that knew that there was just no going back to the way things had been. Too many things had changed, and he couldn’t always go the easy way.

“You can’t?” Helena asked, a slightly confused frown on her forehead. “Why?”

Oliver sucked in a deep breath. Helena sounded hurt, and Oliver could understand that. Those first weeks after their break-up, whenever they had seen each other, it had ended in a little fight. It hadn’t escalated, and it had never been bad. Oliver had just been angry with her for breaking up with him, especially since he had felt like it had been at a time that he had needed her most. With the new job, it would have been great to have Helena as a backup at home to distract him when he came back home from work.

“The truth is,” Oliver said after a moment, his voice lowered to a whisper, “that I had a lot of time to think lately, and I think that the reason I couldn’t see us living together or moving on in our relationship is that I just don’t see a future with you. At least I don’t see a future with you the way I know I should to give this relationship a serious chance.”

“So, you are saying that you didn’t love me?”

“I don’t know if I did,” Oliver admitted honestly and felt a little bit ashamed for it. “I had feelings for you, and I really believed it when I told you I loved you. I just don’t think that I really knew what I was feeling, and maybe I still don’t know it. All I know is that I believe one of the reasons we were together is because it was so simple. We have the same friends. Our parents were supporting our relationship. We got along well.”

“But-“

“Helena, I am not saying any of this to hurt you,” Oliver said quickly and squeezed her hand. “I just want to be honest with you because I think that is the only way for the both of us to be happy.”

Helena lowered her gaze. Her hair fell forward, blocking her face from her view. Oliver hesitated for a moment before he moved her hair back behind her ear and wiped away a tear that had fallen. She lifted her gaze to him.

“You think we two together can’t be happy?”

“Not as happy as we can be when we allow ourselves to find the person that can truly make us happy,” Oliver replied. “Look, if you think about our future, what moments did you imagine?”

“Well, moving in together and getting married and, I don’t know, going to fundraisers and fashion shows and other things like that together. Maybe I even considered kids for somewhere far down the line.”

Oliver nodded slowly. It was exactly what he had thought she would say. It took some of his tension away because it confirmed his decision.

“And I think that’s the problem. We don’t need people that we can see the big milestones of a future with,” he explained. “We need people that we see doing all the normal everyday stuff with. At least I need a person like that. I need someone that I can see myself spending a lazy evening on the couch with, watching movies and eating homemade food and then going to bed together and-“

Oliver stopped when he realized that he didn’t need to search for that person. He already knew her, and she was upstairs in a guest room to give him time and room to talk to his ex.

For days, Oliver hadn’t been able to really admit that he had feelings for Felicity, but here he was, finally acknowledging what he had known for a while now. He couldn’t see a future without Felicity anymore. Wherever his life was going, whatever would happen with his job or with his family, he knew that he wanted to have Felicity by his side.

He wanted to come home from work and have her here, working on some stuff for her company from home like she had done so often. He wanted to kiss her head and go over to the kitchen, suggesting something he could cook for them. He wanted to watch a movie with her while they were enjoying their food and a good glass of wine. He wanted to go to bed with her and fall asleep with her body snuggled up to his. He wanted to hold her while they were sleeping. Her face was the first thing he wanted to see every morning.

There weren’t a lot of things that made sense in Oliver’s life right now, but that made sense. His feelings for Felicity, no, his love for Felicity made sense.

“I guess you already found that person.”

Only now Oliver realized that he had been looking at the door to his guest room the entire time. He guessed it was pretty obvious what or rather who he had been thinking about.

“I- I guess I did, yes.”

Helena smiled halfheartedly, nodding her head. This was probably not how she had imagined this conversation to go. It hadn’t been the way Oliver had imagined it to go either.

“I am really sorry, Helena.”

She shook her head, releasing a sad chuckle. “You don’t have to apologize. I broke up with you, remember? I should have known that someone like you wasn’t going to stay single for long though not even I could have known that you meet the love of your life as soon as I break up with you.”

Oliver massaged the back of his head. “Yeah.”

“I guess there isn’t much left to say then.”

Helena took in a deep breath and sighed. When she got up, Oliver jumped to his feet quickly too. While he didn’t want to kick Helena out he was glad that she didn’t seem to force this conversation to take longer than necessary. Now that he knew what he was feeling for Felicity, he wanted to talk to her and clear things up.

These past days had been so awkward. He couldn’t help to remind himself of that again and again. Talking to Felicity, no matter how she’d react to him suddenly wanting more than what they had agreed on would help clearing things between them. Even if Felicity didn’t have any feelings for him and didn’t even want to give him a chance to try convince her that they could be more than just rebounds or friends or whatever they had been these past days, at least they knew where they were at.

Oliver accompanied Helena to the door where she turned around to him. She hugged him for a moment and brushed a kiss to his cheek. When she pulled back, she was smiling. It didn’t quite reach her eyes, but Oliver was glad for the gesture anyway. He hadn’t been able to show the same kindness when Helena had wanted to move on with her life. It wasn’t something he was proud of.

“Good luck, Ollie.”

“Good luck to you too,” he replied. “You will find the right person for you one day. I know it.”

Helena shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe.”

“I am confident you will.” Oliver shot her an encouraging smile. “Bye, Helena.”

“Bye, Ollie.”

Once the door was closed behind her, Oliver released a breath he hadn’t been known he had been holding. He closed his eyes and chuckled to himself when all he could see was Felicity. He had been so blind and so dumb not so see that there was more between them sooner or maybe he had seen it, but he had just been too scared to admit it. He had never reacted well to change.

Sucking in a deep breath, he moved his hands down his chest like he wanted to make sure that he really looked alright. He didn’t miss that his muscles were tense, and his fingers were almost trembling. Now that it was time to talk to Felicity, he was suddenly really nervous. As much as clearing things between them was a priority for him, he wasn’t sure he was ready to get turned down. It would destroy the time they still had as long as Felicity was living here.

If he didn’t talk to Felicity immediately though, it would only get worse between them. He would only be all the more awkward around her, knowing he wanted them to be more than just rebounds or friends and not telling her. So their last days together would be ruined either way.

Oliver sucked in another deep breath and glanced at the door to the guest room. He straightened his shoulders and walked upstairs. On his way there, he tried to decide what exactly he would say to Felicity. He was so indecisive that he had changed his mind a thousand times by the time he had reached the door, and he still didn’t know what to say.

He guessed it was best to just throw himself into it. Either he would find the right words instantly, or he would babble around until it just blurted out of him. Felicity wouldn’t mind. She babbled a lot herself. If he babbled, it was only because he had been infected by her.

“Felicity?” he asked, knocking at the door gently. “Helena’s gone. I thought we could talk.”

Felicity didn’t answer, so Oliver knocked again. When there still wasn’t an answer, he guessed that Felicity must have fallen asleep. He opened the door carefully, just far enough so he could take a look inside. He didn’t want to bother her in case she was indeed asleep already. He found the bed empty though and pushed the door open completely only to find that the entire room was empty.

“Felicity?”

He knew it was stupid to call her name. He could see with his own eyes that the room was empty. The door to the small en-suite bathroom was open, so he could see that it was empty too. He didn’t know what else to do though.

As Oliver looked around the room, he found that the window to the fire escape was open and a sticky note was attached to it. Frowning, he crossed the room towards the window and grabbed the sticky note.

_I didn’t want to bother, so I took the fire escape out – just in case you were looking for me. F_

Oliver’s frown deepened as he looked out of the window. They were on the sixth floor which he didn’t consider really high, but Felicity had once mentioned that she was quite afraid of heights. She was actually so afraid of heights that even just climbing on a chair to reach the topmost shelf in the kitchen could cause her to feel nauseated. Apparently, she had climbed down the stairs, wearing only one of his hoodies and no shoes, though.

She must have really wanted to escape. Oliver couldn’t hold it against her. If she had thought that he and Helena would reunite, she had had every reason to escape.

He pulled his phone from the pocket of his sweatpants and called Felicity, but she didn’t pick up. He slapped his hand against his forehead when he realized that Felicity probably didn’t have her phone with her. Hence, he couldn’t text her either.

Oliver glanced at his watch and puckered his lips.

Since he couldn’t do much to make Felicity come back now, he could as well use his time to get something else off his chest. The less distracting and confusing thoughts were on his mind when he talked to Felicity, the better he could assure her that what he was feeling for her was true and not the result of several bad circumstances coming together.

Nodding to himself, he grabbed the glass of wine she had left on the small dresser next to the door. He took a nip and walked over to his sleeping area. He changed into jeans and a shirt, slipped into shoes and hurried downstairs. With his keys in his hands, he left the house.

It was time to get his life back under control.

 

* * * * *

 

The executive floor was all empty. There wasn’t a single person in the usually so busy hallway. The conference room was dark and left alone too. If it wasn’t for the light shining into the hallway through the large glass walls of the office at the end of the hallway, Oliver could assume that he was the only one here.

Of course he knew better than that. Even when he had been a child and his parents’ marriage had probably still been happy or at least they had believed it had been happy, his father had always worked late into the night. Well, or maybe he had been cheating on his mother back then already.

Either way, since Oliver had started working for his father, he knew that there wasn’t a day that he left the office before ten. He always was the first to come here in the morning and the last to leave in the night. It wasn’t even eight yet which was why he had been sure that he would find his father here.

As quietly as possible, Oliver walked to his father’s office. He was sitting at his desk, reading some files with a glass of cognac in his hand. He looked focused like he always did, like the hard businessman he had never been able to switch off, not even for his family.

“Can I help you, Oliver?” his father asked.

Oliver almost flinched. His father hadn’t even looked up, so Oliver had just assumed that he was too deep in thought to notice him. He guessed he should have known better. Pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he approached his dad.

“Still working?” Oliver asked.

Robert chuckled, pushing the file he had been reading in away and lifting his gaze to Oliver. He leaned back in his chair, nodding his head slowly.

“Sure,” he replied. “You know me. I live for my work.”

Oliver nodded. Yes, he knew that all too well, especially because he doubted there was a lot left of his father’s life. Queen Consolidated was all he had left since his marriage had fallen apart, his daughter didn’t talk to him anymore and his son had always been his worst disappointment in life. Oliver doubted that he still had an affair though he knew that Isabel Rochev, his father’s right hand at the company, would probably not mind offering some help in that area too.

A long silence settled. Oliver sat down on the chair at the opposite side of the desk. His father poured him a glass of cognac, never breaking eye contact. Still not saying a word, the two men clinked their glasses and nipped at the expensive liquid. It burnt in Oliver’s throat, but he did his best not to show it.

“We need to talk,” Oliver said eventually, his voice as serious as his face, “about my work here.”

Robert took in a deep breath, and Oliver almost expected him to be angry with him and tell him to make his peace with the responsibility he has as a Queen. Instead, his father just released the breath with a long sigh. His shoulders slumped slightly and an almost defeated expression spread on his face.

“I knew this day would come eventually,” Robert said and nodded his head. He took another nip of his drink before he suggested, “Please say whatever it is you need to say.”

“I don’t want to work for you,” Oliver said honestly and felt those words freeing him from a lot of the things that had burdened him in the last weeks. “I don’t want to work for you, especially not at a place like this. I hate the work here. It’s not something that will ever make me happy, and I’m not even good at it.”

“I disagree,” Robert said quietly, “at least with the last part. You have done well while you have been working here.”

“Only because Felicity helped me,” Oliver said. “And maybe I wasn’t terrible at it, but I wasn’t as good as it’s needed to really let this company thrive either. I can manage if is necessary, but I will never do so with passion. That is why I will never be able to help being innovative. You can’t argue with that.”

Robert nodded slowly before he shrugged his shoulders. “You are right.”

Oliver released a brief chuckle and lowered his eyes to his lap. It was probably the first time in his entire life that his father had said he was right. Admitting that just wasn’t his father’s strength.

“What are your plans now?”

Oliver was supposed by his father’s reaction. He had thought he would fight him, but maybe that would still come later.

“I am not sure,” Oliver replied honestly which he knew wasn’t the best answer but the only one he could give. “Maybe I go back to Verdant and try to open a few more clubs here in Starling or somewhere close at least. I am not sure though. Clubbing was nice for a while, but maybe it’s not what I really want. I think, for the first time in my life, I have to really think about what I want to do with the rest of my life instead of doing what seems like the easiest option or let myself be forced to anything.”

Robert nodded again. He wasn’t going to start a fight, and Oliver couldn’t be more relieved. When he had directed the car into the underground parking of the QC-building, he had thought that this might be the evening he would have to break with his father forever. Now, it felt like they were having their first honest and open conversation in a long time.

“I shouldn’t have asked, no, forced you to work here.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows in surprise. Even if he accepted his decision, he hadn’t expected this. Today seemed to be the day of surprises.

“I made a lot of mistakes in my life,” he continued after a moment. “Our family broke apart because of me. Suddenly, you were the only one still here. I knew it was worry because of my heart attack that caused you to stay with me. I think I suddenly realized that I had driven everyone away, and the only chance for me to make sure I didn’t lose you too was to force you to stay here. I am very sorry, Oliver.”

Biting back a comment about getting an apology from him because he could see it wasn’t easy on his father, Oliver just nodded. It wouldn’t be fair to bring up his father’s past mistakes when he was finally taking a step towards him.

“Thank you, Dad.”

Robert shot him a brief smile and sighed. “You know, when you and your sister have been kids, it was always you and your mother on one side and Thea and me on the other. We two just didn’t have as many similarities as you and your mother had or Thea and I had. I thought if we worked together, maybe we could find some common interests or something else to ground a solid father-son-relationship on. It was stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.”

To Oliver’s own surprise, he meant what he had just said. His father hadn’t chosen the best way to try building a relationship with him, but he understood why he had felt so desperate about it all of a sudden. That didn’t make his behavior okay, but at least it meant that he hadn’t meant to annoy him with forcing him to work for him. And it meant they still had a chance.

“You know, maybe we can build a real father-son-relationship,” Robert suggested. “That is if you want to give me the chance to do so.”

Oliver nodded slowly. “Yes. That would be nice.”

Robert smiled with relief, raising his glass. “Here’s to hope for a better future.”

“To hope for a better future,” Oliver agreed, clinking his glass with his father’s.

At least this was a good start.

 

* * * * *

 

Two glasses of cognac and half an hour later, the elevator doors opened at the floor to Oliver’s apartment. The delicious smell of food greeted him, reminding him that he hadn’t had dinner yet. He should have probably stopped at Big Belly or at the small Asian restaurant around the corner on his way home to get some takeout and-

As soon as he had turned the corner to his apartment door and saw Felicity sitting at the floor next to the door, his thoughts stopped. His heart skipped two beats before it started racing in his chest. Knowing what he felt for her, he felt his stomach tingle with butterflies all the more like they had only know realized that they were allowed to fly.

Felicity hadn’t noticed him yet, so Oliver stayed where he was and just watched her for a long moment. She had changed his hoodie that she had been wearing before against a pink dress with a triangle cutout right over her breasts. She was even wearing high heels, and her hair was tied into her usual high ponytail. Her naked legs were stretched out in front of her while she was eating what looked like Shanghai Noodles.

Oliver took in a deep breath. Talking to his father had distracted him from the conversation he wanted and needed to have with her tonight. Now that he remembered his plans again, the nervousness was back, and he had trouble getting a grip on himself.

“Hey.”

The chopsticks stopped in the middle of the air on their way to her lips when Felicity looked up. A brief smile ghosted over her face before she dropped the chopsticks to the noodle box and wiped a paper napkin over her lips.

“Hi,” she replied. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same.” Oliver pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants and strolled over towards her. “Why didn’t you just go inside?”

“Well, at first, I wasn’t sure if I should go in since I didn’t want to bother in case Helena was still there,” Felicity said, and he didn’t miss that she avoided his eyes for a moment. “Then I realized that I can’t go in because I left without my keys and when I say my keys I mean my keychain with the spare key to your apartment.”

In the back of his mind, Oliver knew he should probably say something to the first part, but instead he asked, “If you didn’t have keys, where did you get the clothes?”

“Oh, I have a really reliable head of security at Smoak Tech, so I could at least get into my company without my keys.”

Oliver nodded towards the door. “Do you still want to come inside?”

“No Helena?”

“No,” he said firmly. “Helena and I are done.”

Felicity frowned with surprise. She tried getting up on her feet, but she had trouble doing so with the high heels on her feet and the noodle box in her hand. Oliver reached out a hand for her. Felicity hesitated, looking from his hand at Oliver’s face. When he smiled encouragingly, she smiled back halfheartedly and put her hand in his.

“I thought Helena wanted to get back with you,” Felicity said as soon as she was on her feet and quickly pulled her hand away from his. “I mean at least that was what I thought she wanted when-“

“Let’s go inside,” Oliver suggested. “We can talk there.”

He unlocked the door and gestured for her to go in first. Felicity did and walked right through the loft into the kitchen. She trashed the rest of her noodle, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and took some gulps like she had been thirsting. When she lowered the bottle from her lips, she waved with it in his direction, wordlessly asking if he needed something too, but Oliver shook his head.

“So no reunion with Helena?”

Oliver chuckled. He sat down on the armrest of the couch, watching Felicity while she was trying to busy herself at the kitchen counter. She looked a little bit nervous and maybe lost in the kitchen since Oliver knew it wasn’t her usual terrain. It took away a bit of his nervousness at least.

“No, she wanted to, but I realized that I don’t see a future with her,” Oliver said, “which is the truth. And since I was telling the truth, I decided to go to my dad and tell him that I can’t work for him anymore.”

Felicity’s eyes widened. She looked at him speechlessly. Her mouth moved several times like she was trying to speak but found herself unable to. Oliver just watched her amusedly until he eventually chuckled and showed mercy on her.

“It went well. He accepted my decision, agreed that it wasn’t fair what he did and apologized.”

“He what?”

Oliver chuckled. “Yes, that was my reaction too. He was really understanding though, and we even agreed to grab some dinner together next week and try to work on our father-son-relationship.”

“You are giving him another chance?” Felicity asked. “That’s really kind of you.”

“Not really.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “At the end of the day, he’s family. I know he made mistakes, but so did my mom and so did I. Maybe Thea did too, but she’s my little sister, so I can’t remember.”

“That wouldn’t get me to forgive my father if he ever asked for forgiveness.”

“That’s because your father’s an ass.” Oliver hesitated for a second. “Okay, my father is an ass too.”

They both chuckled and it eased the tension a little bit. Oliver glanced at his watch. It wasn’t even nine yet, so there was still a lot of time.

“You know, I think I will head to bed,” Felicity said all of a sudden. “It’s been a long day.”

Oliver felt his heart sink. He needed to talk to Felicity. He knew he could still do so tomorrow, but he didn’t want to wait that long. He felt like they had missed enough time as it was because he hadn’t checked what he was feeling for her.

“Oh,” he said, trying to hide his disappointed. “I thought we could… talk.”

He slapped himself mentally for using those words. Weren’t that the typical words to start a conversation that ended in a break-up? They weren’t together, so they couldn’t break up, at least technically. Still, Oliver couldn’t help but feel like his words could have been chosen more wisely.

“If this is about me moving out, don’t worry. I have everything planned, and-“

“No, it’s not about that,” Oliver said, “or maybe it is, but not in the way you might think.”

Oliver realized that his words sounded cryptic which he was sure didn’t help. He just lacked the courage to ask her out right yet. He needed a little more time to find the right words and make sense of this.

“Counter suggestion,” Felicity replied eventually, “we have goodbye sex instead of talking about it.”

“Goodbye sex?”

Felicity shrugged her shoulders, coming around the kitchen counter and leaning back against it. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and took in a deep breath, looking Oliver up and down.

“Yes, goodbye sex.”

Oliver frowned. “Because you are moving out? I mean we will stay rebounds, right?”

There was an expression on Felicity’s face that Oliver didn’t know what to think about. It was quickly replaced with a half-hearted smile though.

“I’ve been thinking about our rebound relationship a lot lately, and I think this might be the right time to say goodbye.”

His heart dropped even more, and Oliver was surprised that Felicity didn’t flinch at the loud sound of his heart hitting the floor. He gulped, trying to swallow the bitter taste in his mouth, but it wouldn’t work. The bitter taste just stayed and spread not only in his mouth but even down his throat. He did his best to smile as he nodded his head.

“O-okay,” he said, clearing his throat. “If you think that’s what we should do.”

They had agreed that nobody would make a scene if one of them wanted to end it. It was the seventh rule they had made the night they had agreed on starting a rebound relationship. They had broken a lot of rule so far, but Oliver knew they couldn’t break this one. It would disrespect their friendship, and he would disrespect the rules of common decency if he tried guiling her into staying with her. He knew he needed Felicity, but he couldn’t tell her that because it wouldn’t be fair to her.

“I just think we are both over our exes,” Felicity said, “and our exes were the reason we started this. We don’t need a rebound anymore and I am moving out, so I guess it would be a good time to end it.”

“Yes, you are probably right.” Oliver nodded his head, pushing his hands deep into the pockets of his pants. “There is no reason for us to continue.”

“Exactly.”

Felicity released a long breath and smiled with relief which only made Oliver’s heart that was on the floor already burst into a thousand pieces. She really, honestly wanted to end this.

“So we are on the same page?”

Oliver nodded his head. “Yes, of course. I mean it’s like you said and-“

The words got stuck in his throat, and he almost felt like he was choking on them. No matter how much he tried to press them out, they refused to leave his lips. His chest tightened with the feeling of being unable to say the words he knew Felicity expected him to say, the words he felt their friendship forced him to say.

His love for her, and he wasn’t afraid to admit to himself that he loved her anymore, didn’t allow him to say those words though. With all force possible, they tried to stop him from saying them. Once those words were said, his head and his heart knew, it would be impossible to bring up the courage to take them back and tell her how he really felt for her.

It was now or never.

Either he told her how he was feeling for her now, even if it meant risking losing her completely, or he kept his feeling for her a secret for the rest of his life and tried to at least keep her as a friend. Oliver couldn’t see himself losing Felicity forever because he she was too important in his life already, but pretending he had just friendly feelings for her was a lie. If they were friends, he would have to live with the fact that Felicity would meet guys and eventually fall in love and move on with someone who wouldn’t be a rebound.

The thought made Oliver’s head ache so badly that he had to screw his eyes shut for a moment. He moved his hands through his short hair, letting his nails scratch over his scalp firmly to distract himself from the ache at thinking about Felicity falling in love with anyone else.

He knew he had no choice. If he didn’t risk what they had, he didn’t get a chance at finding out what they could have. It wasn’t just now or never. It was all or nothing.

“Screw it.”

“W-what?”

“Screw it,” Oliver repeated loudly this time. “I don’t want to say goodbye and end things.”

Felicity tensed slightly and frowned. She didn’t understand what he was saying, and Oliver couldn’t hold it against her. He probably wasn’t making a lot of sense right now, at least not for her.

“Oliver, we-“

“No, please let me finish.”

His voice was gentle when he voiced his request. Taking in a deep breath, he crossed the distance towards Felicity. He took her hands, loosening her crossed arms from around her chest, and held her hands. His thumbs stroked over the backs of her hands. Felicity watched their linked fingers for a moment before she lifted her gaze to his face.

“Felicity, I want to go out to dinner with you.” Oliver cleared his throat. “And with dinner I mean a dinner date.”

Felicity looked at him with wide, blue eyes. She was confused or surprised at least. Her lips were slightly parted like she wanted to say something but didn’t know what to say. Oliver just continued looking at her, hoping she would see how serious he was about this.

If the laughter Felicity burst out into all of a sudden was any indication, his eyes failed to show that though. Oliver frowned, watching her laugh and feeling his heart aching at her reaction. Was the thought of going out together really that ridiculous?

“You almost fooled me.”

Still laughing, Felicity pushed him away playfully. She cocked her head, catching her bottom lip between her front teeth and cocking her head at him.

Oliver narrowed his eyes slightly, watching her intently. She was still smiling amusedly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. It didn’t reach her eyes at all. There was a sadness there that her smile couldn’t cover.

“Felicity, I am not joking,” he said honestly. “I want to go out on a date with you because I don’t see you as my rebound anymore, and I don’t see you as my friend anymore either. You are more than that to me, and I believe that we can be more than rebounds or friends, so I would like to go out on a date with you. Please.”

He could basically see the moment, it finally clicked for her and she understood that he was being serious. Oliver sucked in a deep breath, pulling his chin to his chest a little bit and watching her intently. He tried to read her reaction, but he couldn’t say what it was. He had no idea what she was thinking.

Oliver suddenly felt incredibly nervous. In the back of his mind, he had thought that maybe Felicity was feeling the same for him and that had been what had made things all the more awkward lately. Oliver had had feelings for her that he hadn’t been able to admit he had. Felicity had had feelings for him, and hadn’t known what to do about them either.

Maybe it was different for her though. Maybe she didn’t have feelings for him, and the reason things had been so awkward had been had been because she had sensed he was feeling more and just didn’t feel the same. She hadn’t really had anywhere to go, so she had kept quiet and tried to ignore it.

He suddenly felt incredibly stupid. Why would someone like Felicity, someone so smart and successful, want to go out with him?

“Look, if you don’t want to go, it’s okay of course,” he said quickly. “I am so sorry I ambushed you with this. I will just sleep in the guest room and-“

“Yes.”

Oliver pressed his lips together, nodding his head. He guessed he should have waited with asking her out after all because now this last night would be all the more awkward. Felicity didn’t really have anywhere to go, and even if she left, it would just be awkward.

“Okay, fine,” Oliver said, smiling politely. “I will grab my stuff and-“

“What?”

“Well, to sleep in the bedroom,” Oliver said. “Or do you want to sleep there since it has a door you can lock and-“

“Oh,” Felicity said and frowned. She shook her head quickly. “No, you didn’t understand me right. What I meant was that, yes, I want to go out to a dinner-date with you.”

Oliver looked away from her briefly, trying to process her answer before he looked at her again. “Really?”

Felicity chuckled. “If you want me to say no, I can do that. I mean-“

“No,” Oliver hurried to say, saying it with firmness. “No, of course not. I want to go out with you. I really do.”

“Okay.”

When Felicity smiled this time, it was an honest smile. Oliver felt himself being infected by it immediately. He smiled back at her, feeling the butterflies being all the wilder now. They were going crazy inside of his stomach, and every cell of his brain was lightening up in fireworks. He had tried one or two drugs in his youth, but none of it had made him feel this kind of euphoria.

For a long moment, they continued standing in front of each other and smiling. Neither of them said a word, but it wasn’t a bad thing. This wasn’t one of the awkward moments. This was a moment of truth, a moment of both of them knowing what they wanted. At least for now things were cleared between them.

“I will go to bed now,” Felicity said eventually. “It’s been a long day.”

Oliver nodded. “Of course. I will tidy up down here and follow you. Or would you rather want me to sleep in the guest room?”

“No,” Felicity said, shaking her head. “No, of course not. It’s fine.”

“Okay.”

“Do you need help cleaning things up here?”

“No,” Oliver replied, shaking his head. “It’s fine.”

Felicity nodded slowly, gesturing upstairs to the bedroom area. “I will just go ahead then.”

Oliver smiled. “Okay. Goodnight, Felicity.”

“Night.”

They smiled at each other, and there was a little bit of insecurity in that moment. Should they kiss goodnight? Should they make a rule not to have sex again before their date? Did they have anything else to say?

“Okay, goodnight,” Felicity said eventually with a chuckle. “Night.”

“Night,” Oliver said again.

Felicity hesitated just a moment longer before she turned around and walked upstairs. Oliver watched after her, and he couldn’t stop a wide smile to spread on his lips when she turned his head back over his shoulder once more to look at him.

For the first time in a long time, Oliver felt hope for his life. Maybe everything wasn’t as hopeless as he had thought it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone enjoy the season 7 premiere tonight. I hope some people on Twitter are kind enough to record some scenes for me to watch when I wake up tomorrow morning. Living in Europe can suck when it comes to fandom life. ;)


	14. Rule 9: No 'I love you's

Felicity puckers her lips, and takes a couple of steps back until her knees hit the edge of the mattress. She sat down on the bed cross-legged, looking at the four dresses she could possibly wear tonight thoroughly.

She had already shortlisted four dresses from her closet. Usually, that helped her making the final decision, but today it was different. She was still as torn as she had been when she had first wondered what she should wear tonight. At least she had limited the possible colors to black or red already.

“Okay, you have to approach this rationally.”

The first dress was a red one. It played around the silhouette of her body loosely. It was an off-shoulder-dress with flutter sleeves. It was classy and elegant but very simple at the same time. No matter where Oliver would take her, it would look suitable.

The second dress was another red one. Just like the first one, it wasn’t exactly elaborate either. It did have a nice, little detail though as there was a zipper leading from her waist down over her back to the front of her thigh. It was sexy since it had the power to inspire the fantasy of unzipping it, but it wasn’t too much for a first date.

The third dress was black, and, unlike the two red ones, it was much sexier. It was an off-shoulder dress with cutouts on the upper arm, the waist and the thighs where little metal details were keeping the fabric together. It showed enough skin to be counted as sexy, but it wasn’t too revealing to be unsuitable for the purpose.

The forth dress, another black one, was actually not something she would have ever considered to wear for a first date. It had large cutouts on the back, revealing it almost completely. One of the cutouts even reached to the front of her waist. It was really sexy, too sexy for a first date to be honest, but this wasn’t the usual kind of a first date.

Felicity frowned at that thought. Usually, you went on a date to really get to know each other. Felicity already knew Oliver though, and he knew her just as well. She had seen him in sweatpants, and he had seen her in one of his already worn and slightly stained hoodies. Still, Felicity wanted to look great because this first date was important to her.

Sighing, she grabbed her phone and took a photo of the dresses. She was already texting Lyla to help her pick when she realized that maybe texting her friend wasn’t the best idea after all. Felicity hadn’t even told Lyla about her date with Oliver tonight. She hadn’t been particularly enthusiastic about their rebound relationship, so Felicity had chosen to keep her date with Oliver a secret until they knew if anything would grow from that.

Felicity pulled her bottom lip between her front teeth and sucked in a deep breath. She hoped that something would grow from their date, something more than they had had so far. Since she knew that Oliver wanted more, she finally dared to hope that they really could have more. Being friends with Oliver and having sex with Oliver was nice, but she liked the idea of having more with him.

Deciding that it didn’t really matter what she wore because Oliver had seen her naked multiple times before, she pulled the black dress with the metal details from the hanger and put it on. Still barefoot, she went to the bathroom and put on some light makeup. She glanced at the box with her contacts briefly before she grabbed her glasses and put them on. Slipping into her shoes, she walked back to her bedroom and looked at herself in the floor-length mirror.

She stroked her finger over the dress slowly, smoothing out the invisible creases in the fabric. It was probably stupid to be nervous. She had had dinner with Oliver multiple times before. Until this morning, they had even been living together. Having dinner together and talking would come natural for both of them.

Felicity had just turned to the bathroom to maybe apply a little more hairspray to keep the soft curls that framed her face in place when the doorbell rang. She cast a brief look at her watch, wondering who it could be. Oliver was only supposed to pick her up in fifteen minutes, so he would have to be really early if it was him.

On the way to the door, despite telling herself that it just couldn’t be Oliver, she felt her nervousness increasing. She couldn’t say when she had been this nervous about a first date the last time. Right before he first date with Ray, she certainly hadn’t been half as nervous as she was now.

Taking in a deep breath, Felicity opened the door.

“Hi.”

He looked sexy. That was the first thing that came to Felicity’s mind when she saw him on her threshold. He wore a dark grey three-piece suit that emphasized his broad shoulders just the right way and a steel blue tie that brought out the blue in his eyes. With the nervous smile on his lips and his slightly tousled hair, he really looked incredibly sexy. There was no better way to describe him since Felicity couldn’t help thinking about anything but how much she would love to take his clothes off and take him to her bed.

“Oliver,” she said with a smile. “You are early.”

“Yes.” Oliver moved his fingers through his hair, tousling it even more. “I actually arrived ten minutes ago and told myself to wait in the car. I couldn’t wait anymore though, so here I am.”

Felicity’s smile widened even more when Oliver lowered his eyes and shuffled his foot. A nervous smile was playing on his lips too. He looked almost shy which she wasn’t really used from him. Still, it looked kind of good on him.

“Here you are,” she repeated eventually.

At that, Oliver lifts his gaze again. His eyes sparkle with joy, and it makes Felicity’s stomach tingle. All day, she had wondered if he was looking forward to their date as much as she had, and the answer was clear in his eyes now.

His eyes drifted down to her lips for a moment, and Felicity held her breath. First dates were probably not supposed to start with a kiss, but given their history she was sure that it would take away from their nervousness. For the break of a second, she believed that Oliver would indeed kiss her.

He pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants and looked back at his Porsche. Felicity pressed her lips together, trying to suppress the slight feeling of disappointment that spread in her chest.

“So, are you ready to go or do you need a little more time?”

“I’m ready to go.”

Felicity grabbed her purse from the coat rack quickly and stepped outside. She locked the door and smiled back at Oliver when he waited for her to go to his car. He held open the door for her and closed it once she had sat down in the soft leather seat.

While Oliver directed the car out of her street, silence spread between them. He was very much focused on the barely existing traffic, never taking his eyes off the street. Felicity looked out of the windshield, doing her best not to stare at Oliver. Still, she was unable to not watch him from the corner of his eyes.

“So, where are we going?” Felicity asked.

“To a little Italian restaurant that’s out of town.” Oliver shot her a brief look, but he quickly turned his gaze back onto the street. “I haven’t been there yet, but I heard it’s a real insider tip.”

“Sounds great.”

Again, Oliver shot her another brief look, and, again, he looked back at the street quickly. Felicity bit down on the inside of her cheek and looked out of the window to her right.

Maybe she had imagined a date with Oliver to be much easier than it actually was. Dating a friend was always awkward. A thousand romcoms proved that. There was just a difference between talking to a friend and talking to a person you were dating even when it was the same person. Whether there were feelings involved or not, dating someone you suddenly saw with different eyes just wasn’t easy.

“Can I tell you something?”

Perking up her eyebrows, Felicity turned her head to look at Oliver. His fingers were clenched around the steering wheel tightly, and his eyes were still completely focused on what was happening on the street. At the same time, there was something warm in his smile, something that told Felicity that he was actually very much focused on her.

“Sure,” Felicity replied. “Anything.”

“I am incredibly nervous,” he said and chuckled which only proved his words because his nervousness sounded through the quiet laughter. “I am so nervous that I changed my suit three times. At the end, I actually headed out and bought my new first suit in a year. I even called Thea to help me choose one. Then I was still so nervous that I left my loft way too early. I just couldn’t wait to see you, and, when I saw you, I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t dare to kiss you hello, not even on the cheek. Now I regret that choice and don’t know what to say because all I can think about is that I really wish I had kissed you.”

Felicity watched Oliver closely. She was pretty sure that he was holding his breath while he was waiting for her to say something.

She couldn’t say anything though. Her entire body was tingling at his words. Knowing that he was so nervous that he had actually bought a new outfit and that he wanted to kiss her so badly that he couldn’t even focus on saying anything just proved to her how right she had been. Agreeing to go on a date with Oliver had been the right choice.

Even if they didn’t know what to say yet, she knew she wouldn’t have wanted to missed this. She doubted that anyone had ever had a reaction like that to her just like she knew that she had never had a reaction like this to anyone but him. Maybe neither of them would say anything all night, but, knowing what she knew now, she was sure that she could even spend the entire evening in quiet.

By the time Oliver directed the Porsche into an empty parking lot in front of the restaurant, Felicity still hadn’t found her voice again. She tried to respond to what Oliver had said, but the truth was that she didn’t even know what to say. Oliver’s words had been incredibly sweet. Everything she could say in response would sound flat compared to what he had said.

“So,” Oliver said with a sigh, turned off the engine and leaned back in the driver’s seat, “are we still going to do this, or did I chase you away with my confession.”

Felicity smiled sadly, cocking her head. She hadn’t meant to give Oliver the feeling that his confession was too much for her.

“What you said was incredibly sweet,” she told him, “and I am just as nervous as you are to be honest. I mean I was just as nervous as I was excited about this date. I still am. I guess it’s just weird testing this new terrain.”

Oliver nodded and lowered his eyes again. He pressed his lips together, and Felicity could see that he didn’t know what to say to that. Admittedly, her last words hadn’t sounded particularly hopeful.

“Okay, here’s my suggestion,” Felicity says and turned in her seat as much as possible. “We get out of the car and just start over without all the nervousness. We know each other. We get along well. We shouldn’t be nervous. We have never been nervous about what we had even when we turned from hook-ups to rebounds to friends. This is just a new step.”

Oliver nodded his head, smiling gratefully. “Sounds great.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” he agreed. “Let’s do this.”

They opened the car doors at the same time. When Felicity got out of the car, Oliver was already hurrying around it to her side. She closed the door behind herself at the same time Oliver stepped in front of her. He straightened his shoulders and smiled at her, now definitely more excited than nervous.

“Hi,” he says. “You look amazing.”

Before Felicity can respond, he already takes a step towards her. With his hand on her hip, his thumb strokes against a spot of skin that is exposed because of the cutouts of her dress. Felicity feels goosebumps spreading where he touched her, and they spread even further when Oliver brushed his lips against the corner of her mouth. It wasn’t a real kiss, but it was enough to inspire her memory, especially since his stubble scratched against her lips softly.

When they pulled apart, Oliver’s eyes were sparkling, and Felicity was sure that hers were too. His hand lingered against her waist for a moment longer before he pulled it away. The loss of contact left a cold shiver on her skin.

“You look very handsome too,” Felicity said eventually. She hooked a finger into his vest and tugged at the fabric briefly. “I like the suit.”

“That old thing?”

Oliver rolled his eyes and snorted, making a dismissing gesture with his hand. Felicity grinned, and, when their eyes met again, they both chuckled.

Lacing his fingers through hers, Oliver led Felicity to the restaurant. The waitress led them to their table, right at the window with a perfect view on the ocean. They agreed to order a bottle of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild before the waitress left them alone.

When they looked at each other, and, again, neither of them spoke, they both chuckled.

“I do not shy away from googling perfect topics for a first date,” Felicity says. “I am sure I can find at least five lists with a hundred questions to go through. That will be enough to get us through dinner, and we might even learn something new about each other.”

Oliver chuckled, moving his hands down his chest like he was smoothing creases out of the vest of his suit. He took in a deep breath and looked at her then.

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” he said. “There’s actually something I want to tell you.”

Felicity perked up her eyebrows and smiled back at him. “Shoot.”

“I-“

When the waitress returned to their table with the bottle of red wine, he stopped though. The waitress was about to unstop the bottle for them, but Oliver said he’d rather do that himself. She handed him the bottle and the opener, putting the menus on the table.

“This morning before my suit crisis, I talked to Tommy,” Oliver told her while he was unstopping the bottle, “and we decided to expand Verdant by adding a restaurant and lounge area to the club. The restaurant will be in a new build that we will still have to plan thoroughly. The lounge area will be in the current rooms of Verdant though. It will basically serve as the connection between restaurant and club. You can enjoy the gigs but still order food.”

Felicity smiled. “Oliver, that sounds fantastic.”

“Thank you,” he said and poured both of them some wine. “I just thought about what I could possibly enjoy, and cooking was the first that came to my mind. There is a lot that isn’t worked out about it yet, but the ideas there. Tommy and I will start planning as soon as we can, probably next week already.”

“You are going to be great,” Felicity told him, “because I know how much you love to cook and I know how delicious your cooking is. I am sure you are going to be much happier with it.”

She was almost surprised that Oliver hadn’t had this idea earlier. Someone who enjoyed cooking as much as Oliver did and had the creativity to always create something even with just a few ingredients in the fridge was just destined to be a cook. He would be great.

Felicity raised her glass. “To you and your new goal.”

“Nah.” Oliver shook his head. “If we toast to something, we toast to us and this evening.”

“Okay,” Felicity agreed, nodding her head. “To us and this evening.”

They clinked their glasses and both sipped at the wine. Felicity hummed contently at the wonderful taste. God, how much she loved that wine.

“Did you tell your dad about your idea with the restaurant yet?”

“No.” Oliver shook his head and took another nip of the wine. “I wanted you to be the first to know.”

Felicity smiled. “Thanks for the honor.”

“It was more for selfish reasons,” Oliver replied and chuckled. “I think I needed to hear you tell me that it was a good idea. Now it will be easier to tell my dad about it.”

“What do you think he will say?”

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, and it doesn’t really matter. I hope he will accept it. We finally have a chance, a tiny chance, at building a better relationship. If he doesn’t accept my choice, I guess at least I know that we will never have a better relationship.”

“Let’s hope for the best,” she suggested. “When will you meet him?”

“Wednesday for dinner.” Oliver handed Felicity one of the menus and took the other. “And let’s please not talk about my dad anymore.”

Felicity chuckled. “He’s a mood killer.”

“Definitely.”

Felicity took only a brief glance into the menu card before she put it away. Oliver looked up from reading, confusion in his eyes. He frowned.

“Already found something?”

“Well, usually, when I go to a restaurant, I always google the menu card, so I can take my time to decide what I want,” Felicity told him. “Really, I do that days before going there because picking dinner is just not a choice you should ever make lightly. When I am at a new restaurant, I always pick a lasagna. If there is no lasagna, I go for a Caesar Salad.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows. “What do you do if the menu doesn’t offer either of it?”

Felicity through about it briefly before she shrugged her shoulders. “That never happened so far. I guess I would just starve.”

“In that case, I will tell you ahead of time that I am planning on taking you to The Steakhouse in Pennytown for our next date.”

“Our next date?” Felicity nipped at her wine and chuckled amusedly. “We are only fifteen minutes into our first date, and you are already planning the second. Someone’s quite convinced himself, hm?”

“Not of myself,” Oliver told her seriously. “Of us.”

Felicity felt her breath getting stuck in her throat. She looked at Oliver, and he looked back at her. Their eyes were locked, staring at each other intently. Felicity felt her heartbeat skipping a beat or two. Had he always been that good with words?

The waitress returned to their table before Felicity could find an answer. She took their orders, took the menu cards and left them alone again.

Felicity cleared her throat, figuring it was best to drop his words of before. Some lighter subjects certainly made it easier to prevent things from getting awkward.

“So, any other news in your life?” Felicity asked and almost rolled her eyes about herself. Instead, she chuckled though. “I mean since I moved out this morning?”

“Not really.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “I am thinking about going to Europe to visit Thea and my mother though. Now that I have talked to Thea again, and dad and I are on better terms, maybe I can make up with everyone in the family. It might be the right time.”

“That sounds great. I was actually thinking about the same, you know?” she asked. “I mean not going to Europe obviously, but going to Las Vegas and visiting my mother. We’ve had an estranged relationship for too long. Maybe I should reach out to her.”

Oliver smiled. His hand finds hers on the table, and he smiles at her comfortingly while he is squeezing her fingers. Felicity looks at their hands for a moment before she lifts her gaze to Oliver’s eyes again.

“That sounds great,” he told her. “Maybe, depending on how things work out between us in the next weeks, we can combine these visits and go on a little vacation together.”

Felicity pulled her bottom lip between her front teeth, biting down on it. She smiled though she was sure that her confusion or hesitation was showing on her face too.

“Whatever this is between us, it really is a mess,” Felicity said with a chuckle. “I mean we had sex. Then we became friends. We moved in with you. You asked me out. I moved out. Now we are on our first date, planning a mutual vacation to visit our parents. This is a mess.”

“Maybe,” Oliver said, squeezing her fingers once more, “but it’s a good kind of mess.”

Felicity nods her head slowly. “Yeah, probably.”

She thought about it for a moment and realized how right Oliver really was. What they had was messy, but it was a good kind of mess. However unusual it was how things had started with them, they wouldn’t feel as comfortable around each other if it wasn’t for the way things had developed between them. They had been physical intimate as rebounds and emotionally intimate as friends, so their date, once they had pushed passed the first awkwardness, felt natural.

“Speaking of the way things have developed between us,” Oliver said eventually, “I have something.”

He pulled that something he was referring to out of the breast pocket of his shirt and put it on the table. Felicity needed a second to realize what it was.

“Are that our rules?” she asked.

“Yup.” Oliver nodded his head. “I kept it in a drawer all the time. I didn’t know why. Now, I am really glad I did because it allows us to reflect on where things went amiss in just the right way to help creating what we have now.”

Felicity was weirdly touched by the fact that he had kept this paper napkin. It was just a paper napkin, something that was usually trashed after being used. Oliver had kept this paper napkin that was the basis of what they had first had though. It was sweet.

She pulled out a red pen from her purse and handed it to Oliver with a smile. “Now, let’s check how badly we really did.”

Oliver chuckled at her words, taking the pen. Then he read out, “Our first rule was ‘No urging, no obligations’. I think we did pretty good on that one.”

“If we just consider the sex,” Felicity added for consideration.

“Which is the way we meant it, right?”

“Yes, but nothing went the way we meant it.”

“That’s true.” Oliver chuckled. “So how do you think we broke this rule?”

“Well, I might have urged you to talk to your father.”

Oliver nodded slowly and drew an X in front of the rule. He lifted his gaze to lock eyes with hers for a moment and they both smiled. This was going to be fun.

“No having dinner together,” Oliver read out and already drew another X in front of the rule, much thicker than the first one. “You broke that rule during our first sex date.”

“And we broke it regularly after that.”

“Indeed, and it was delicious.”

Felicity chuckled. “What’s next on the list?”

“No jealousy.”

Felicity scrunched up her nose. Helena’s face flashed in front of her eyes, and she remembered the twisting feeling in her stomach when Helena had stood in front of Oliver’s door. She had told herself that she wasn’t jealous, but she hadn’t really believed herself anyway.

“I broke that rule.” She sighed. “Big time.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows. “Helena?”

Felicity nodded her head. “Yeah.”

Oliver found her fingers on the tabletop once more. His fingers laced with hers, and he squeezed her hand gently. When her eyes found his, they both smiled at each other softly.

“There was no reason to be jealous. By the time her father has been shot, I already had eyes for you and only you.”

“When did you realize it?” Felicity asked. “That there was more I mean?”

Oliver took in a deep breath, considering his answer carefully for a moment. The corners of his lips were twitching with a smile.

“I think it’s been like that for quite some time, at least since our vodka-night,” he replied eventually, “but I was only able to really accept it lately. I don’t know why.”

“Probably because it’s been planned differently.”

“Yeah, probably.”

They continued looking at each other for a moment without saying a word. The silence between them was pleasant and nothing like the awkward kind there had been before.

“Our forth rule,” Oliver said eventually, and marked the third one with another X. “No texting other than sexting and arranging hookups.”

“Broken regularly.”

Oliver drew another cross in front of the words, chuckling slightly. They could have just relinquished setting up these rules. They had been meaningless, and that impression was only confirmed as they continued going through their rules.

Rule 5: No pillow talks – Broken a lot of times.

Rule 6: No involving family – Broken given Robert had known about them.

“Oh, I broke our seventh rule.”

Felicity perked up her eyebrows at Oliver’s words. “Which one was that?”

“No ugly scene when one wants to end it.”

“It wasn’t particularly ugly, and it wasn’t really a scene either,” Felicity told him with a smile, “but you didn’t accept it easily when I wanted to end this. Luckily.”

She added the words in a quiet whisper. Oliver smiled at that. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles softly. It made Felicity’s smile widen.

“I think we can count is as broken nonetheless,” Oliver replied eventually and winked at her. “It fits better into this.”

Rule 8: No favors and no gifts – Broken with the shoes Oliver had given to her, the one that he had actually ordered for Helena.

“Oh, our ninth rule,” Oliver said, and Felicity frowned slightly because he looked like he was blushing. “No ‘I love you’s.”

 “Hey, we didn’t break that one. We weren’t as bad as I thought we were.”

Felicity chuckled. She had almost believed that had broken every single one of their rules. Apparently, they had at least been able to not break this one.

Oliver marked the rule with a question mark, and said, “I guess this one is still out there to be broken. That leaves only our last rule to accept that we are each other’s last priority.”

“Well, since we haven’t really been each other’s last priority, it was hard to break that one.”

“Let’s consider it broken.” Oliver marked it with an X. “We managed to not break one out of ten.”

“Actually, it’s one out of eleven,” Felicity disagreed. “We had an eleventh rule about not being unprofessional during work.”

“That we broke quickly.”

“Yup.”

Oliver chuckled. He looked at the list for a moment longer before he pushed it back into the breast pocket of his shirt. He nipped at his wine and smiled at her.

“I remember you were talking about steps for rebounds,” he said eventually. “So, what did they say about going on a date with your rebound?”

“Well, they warned about that. Developing feelings for your rebound can be dangerous since the deal was different.”

Oliver nodded slowly and narrowed his eyes at her. “But?”

Felicity smiled. He knew her so well already.

“But they also admitted that rules are made to be broken. While things might start with a casual rebound relationship there can grow more out of it. You have to be open to it, or you might miss the chance at something great.”

Oliver’s eyes were full of warmth, and his thumb rubbed over the back of her hand in little circles. She could feel how calloused his skin was against her much softer one. It created an almost scratching feeling, just like when his stubble scratched the sensitive skin around her lips when he kissed her.

“I am really glad we were open to it,” Felicity whispered eventually, “to this more.”

Oliver nodded his head. “Yeah, so am I.”

 

* * * * *

 

“I can’t believe we are already back at my house.”

“I know.” Oliver laced his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand. “Time passed too quickly.”

“And that although the cabbie drove around the city twice.” Felicity chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. “I think I have never seen a cabbie that had so little orientation in the city.”

“I think he was quite skilled actually.”

Felicity looked at him. Oliver avoided her gaze, puckering his lips innocently. Even when they stopped in front of her door, he still tried not to look at her. For a split second, their eyes met nonetheless. Oliver’s lips spread to an amused grin. Felicity saw it although Oliver did his best to bite it back.

“You paid him for that detour?”

Oliver pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and looked at her sheepishly. He pushed his free hand into the pocket of his pants and hunched his shoulders.

“I paid a small fortune for this cab ride.”

“You could have told me. I would have gladly contributed to prolonging our date a little longer.”

“I already let you pay the dinner.”

“Oh, you let me pay the dinner?”

“You know what I mean.” Oliver rolled his eyes slightly, but he chuckled soon after. “But thank you for paying the dinner I invited you to.”

Felicity chuckled. “You are really welcome. Thanks for paying this unbelievably long cab ride home. How will you get your car back?”

“I will go out for a run tomorrow and just pick the car back up then.”

“I can’t believe you can even think about a run right now,” Felicity said and moved her hand over her stomach that felt slightly bloated. “I am still bloated with food.”

“Dinner was delicious,” Oliver agreed, nodding his head, “though I have to say the company was even better.”

With a low sigh falling from her lips, Felicity leaned back against the door to her townhouse. She knew this was usually the time for a first date to end. Given that it was already past midnight, it was probably already later than most first dates ended probably. Whether that was true or not, Felicity didn’t want this night to end just yet.

If she could, she would just prolong this date to a never-ending night. She could talk to Oliver for hours, and she would never get tired of it. She loved listening to him, enjoyed what he had to say as much as the sound of his voice.

“I had a lot of fun today,” she whispered eventually. “The evening was perfect.”

“Yes, it was.”

Oliver looked at her intently for a long moment. He stepped right in front of then and brushed a curly strand of her hair back behind her ear. His fingers lingered against her cheek, and his eyes watched the blush that probably spreading on her skin.

“Can I tell you something without risking that I will scare you away?”

Felicity smiled softly and nodded her head. “Of course you can.”

Oliver’s fingers continued lingering against her skin. His eyes were incredibly warm watching her. It actually made Felicity’s stomach tingle in the way only Oliver could make her feel.

“I lied before.” He stepped so close that his chest brushed against her breasts with every inhale and his breath ghosted over her face with every exhale. “About our ninth rule.”

Felicity felt her breath getting caught in her throat. Rule 9: No ‘I love you’s – Left to be broken. At least that was what they had agreed on when they had checked the rules earlier tonight.

“I never said those words out loud, and I am not going to do so now because it would just be too soon,” he whispered. “I dreamed about saying those words to you though. I feel them, and I will say them out loud one day soon. For now, just know that I am dreaming about saying them to you already.”

Felicity hadn’t been speechless a lot of times in her life. Usually, she always found something to say. It was often inappropriate or fell from her lips without her consent, but she could say something nonetheless. Not the first time today, she was speechless though.

Before Felicity could find her voice again, Oliver put both his hands to her cheeks and framed her face like that. His thumbs brushed against her cheekbones. He angled her head back a little, and his eyes locked onto hers once more. The tip of his nose brushed against hers.

The anticipation was barely bearable. Only a couple of days had passed since their last kiss, but Felicity just longed for the feeling of his lips against hers again. Her entire body, every little cell in it, just focused on Oliver. Right now, all that mattered was that they were here. Together.

Finally, Oliver closed the distance between them. Their lips brush together in an utterly gentle kiss that took Felicity’s breath away for a moment. It was only a chaste touch of their lips without any involvement of their tongues or teeth, but it made Felicity’s body tingled nonetheless. Their lips broke apart for a moment, and the breath Felicity had been holding fell from her lips in a quiet sigh. The next moment, Oliver’s lips were already on hers again. The kiss only lasted for a brief moment though.

It was a perfect first kiss.

After thinking about it briefly, Felicity realized that it could probably indeed count as their first kiss. The first time she had kissed him, it had been a direct lead-in to having sex. It hadn’t been a real first kiss. This was so.

When Felicity opened her eyes, she found Oliver’s gaze already on her face. He was looking at her, an expression of amazement in his eyes and warmth in his smile. Smiling, she lifted her hands to his wrists and snuggled her face more into the touch of his hands.

A moment of silence passed before Oliver leaned in for another kiss, and Felicity met him half-way. The kiss started out slow and gentle like the first one, but it was like something suddenly snapped in both of them. Their kiss deepened instantly. Oliver took a step closer to Felicity, caging her in between the door and his body. His hands rested flat against the door right next to her head, while her hand moved into his hair, grabbing some strands to pull him towards her even more.

Felicity moaned into the kiss. Feeling Oliver’s chest pressed against hers so tightly right now just reminded her of all the wonderful times she had felt his chest press against hers like this when they had both been naked. Her muscles recalled her memories, and they reminded her nerve endings of how wonderful he had made her feel. It aroused her beyond belief although they were just kissing.

With a groan that Felicity could feel vibrating in his and echoing through her chest, Oliver pushed himself away from her. His hands stayed where they rested against the door, but his arms were stretched out now, keeping him an arm’s length away from her.

“I should go.”

Oliver was panting, breathless from their kiss, but his voice sounded firm. His eyes betrayed him though. There was a sparkle in there that told her that he didn’t want to go.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I should go.” Sucking in a deep breath, Oliver nodded his head firmly. “It’s only our first date, and we shouldn’t- We just shouldn’t do this.”

Felicity perked up her eyebrows. An amused smile spread on her lips. She quickly caught her bottom lip between her front teeth to hide it. Clearing her throat, she lifted her hand to wipe some of her lipstick off his lips with her thumb.

“What are you afraid of?” Felicity asked. “That I think you are an easy lay?”

Oliver chuckled. “I guess it’s already too late for that.”

“Kind of.”

He took in another deep breath and released it with a sigh. He bent his arms for a moment to brush his lips against hers once more. Instead of deepening the kiss, he pulled away again though, and he scrunched his nose like he himself couldn’t believe he was doing this.

“I should go,” he repeated. “I should really, really, really go.”

“Too bad,” Felicity replied. She grabbed his tie and started wrapping it around her hair, pulling Oliver back closer to her in response. “Because I have no intention of letting you go.”

“No?”

“No.”

Oliver pressed his lips together and pulled them into his mouth. “Are you sure?”

“Very sure.”

With that, Felicity tugged at his tie firmly. Oliver’s body slumped against hers, so his chest pressed against hers again. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her small body against his broad torso. Felicity held onto his tie tightly, clawing her free hand into the lapel of his suit jacket. Their lips met in a heated kiss.

“Thank god.”

Felicity chuckled when he mumbled the words against her lips. She had hoped that he just wanted to be a gentleman. It was sweet of him of course, but Felicity didn’t mind if he wasn’t a gentleman either. Actually, she preferred the non-gentleman version for the rest of tonight.

Stroking her tongue into Oliver’s mouth, she moaned. He tasted so good, and she couldn’t wait to feel him inside her. Her leg actually itched with the need to wrap around his hip and open herself to him. She wanted to rub against him and feel him rubbing against her too. She knew that her neighbors certainly wouldn’t be pleased by it.

“My keys.”

She whispered the words against his lips. There was more she wanted to say, something to give it a context. Oliver’s fingers snuck into one of the cutouts of her dress and brushed against the exposed skin there. Goosebumps spread from her waist all over her back. It distracted her from whatever she had meant to say.

“Your keys would be very helpful right now,” Oliver agreed between two kisses. “Do you need help finding them?”

“Purse.”

Felicity angled her head back to break the kiss. Oliver’s lips moved off her lips indeed. They traveled over the corner of her mouth and her jaw to her neck. He kissed, licked and nibbled a path down the side of her throat. He found her pulse point quickly and opened his lips against it, sucking at it.

“Keys in my purse,” Felicity said quickly and grabbed her purse, pushing it against Oliver’s chest. “Just find them.”

With a deep groan, Oliver let go of her pulse point. He grabbed her purse and opened it. It only took him five seconds of rummaging around in it to pull out the keys. He hit the keyhole at the first attempt and unlocked the door. Felicity almost lost balance, stumbling back when the door she was still leaning against opened. Oliver’s arm wrapped around her waist quickly, holding her upright though.

“Good reflexes, Mister,” she whispered against his lips.

“I wouldn’t want this night to end in the hospital.”

Oliver kicked the door shut behind them and turned them, so Felicity was pressed against the door once more. While his lips were still stealing deep kisses from her mouth, their hands started getting rid of the redundant and annoying pieces of clothing that were in their way. She took off his tie and let his suit jacket follow to the floor. She opened the two topmost buttons of his shirt, but she got distracted when Oliver’s hands pushed beneath the hem of her dress and pushed it upwards until the skirt of her dress pooled around her waist.

She loved the way Oliver undressed her. He missed no chance at exploring the skin he exposed.

Felicity’s hands were already moving down to the buckle of Oliver’s belt. She was so aroused by her memory alone that she knew she didn’t need much of a foreplay. Her body was longing to feel him. She could feel it in the tingle of her skin as well as the aching of her core. She wanted to feel him, feel him touching her and feel him thrusting into her.

Before Felicity could unbuckle his belt, Oliver’s hands pushed hers out of the way though. For a second, she thought he was going to unbuckle his belt himself. When he broke the kiss and looked at her though, she frowned.

The frown vanished though as Oliver sunk down on his knees with an expression full of desire in his eyes. With held breath, she watched him hooking his fingers into the waistband of her panties and pulling the fabric down her legs slowly. Watching him and feeling his breath ghosting over her leg was enough to increase her arousal so much that she had to bite down on her bottom lip to suppress a needy whimper to escape her mouth.

Oliver lifted first her right leg and finally her left leg to take the panties off her. He through them back over his shoulder carelessly. When he lifted her right leg again, putting it over his shoulder, their eyes locked. Felicity bit into her bottom lip even harder, still holding her breath. As soon as Oliver leaned forward, a long breath escaped her though.

His lips captured her clit, sucking at it immediately. His tongue flicked against the sensitive nubbin repeatedly, stimulating her center of pleasure even more. Felicity wasn’t prepared for the jolt of pleasure that ran through her body so forcefully. She wanted Oliver. She still did. She hadn’t known how ready her body was for his touch until right now though.

“Oliver.”

His name fell from her lips in a hoarse whisper. Her hands clawed into his hair. Her heel dug into his back. She kept him in place like that though she doubted that he was planning on moving away anyway. His lips were still wrapped around her clit tightly, his tongue continuing to flic against her center of pleasure.

Oliver built her pleasure up like that. It increased slowly, pushing her impossibly close to the edge without allowing her to fall over it. She was panting, and her heart was racing. Her body felt like it was on fire, but it was a good feeling. She thrusted her hips against his lips and tongue, trying to get even more of the pleasure.

Just when Felicity felt like her orgasm was finally approaching, Oliver licked a way to his entrance. She felt the impending orgasm ceasing. A frustrated groan fell from her lips.

“Hey,” she complained. “Stop teasing.”

Oliver chuckled against her core for a short moment before his tongue thrusted into her tight channel. She gasped for breath, and her fingers tightened around his hair even more. She was sure her fingernails scraped over his scalp, but Oliver didn’t complain about it. He just continued thrusting his tongue in and out of her slowly, licking her walls oh so tenderly.

Felicity felt her pleasure increasing once more. With a content sigh, she leaned her head back against the door and closed her eyes. She caught her bottom lip between her front teeth and hummed. It felt perfect. Feeling his tongue licking her sensitive walls and rubbing against the riffled spot deep inside of her while his stubbled cheeks were scratching against the inside of her thighs was just perfect.

“Felicity.”

His lips let go of her just long enough to whisper her name. Sucking in a deep breath, Felicity opened her eyes and looked at Oliver, finding his eyes already on hers. He didn’t have to say anything more for her to know that it was all he wanted. He just wanted her to look at him.

His tongue went over to circling movements inside of her. It pressed against every inch of her walls. When Oliver rubbed his cheek against her thigh, scratching it deliberately, it was all Felicity needed. The heat that had been coiling in her stomach, spread all over her body. It rushed through her veins until her entire body felt like a roaring wildfire was threatening to burn her from inside out.

Oliver took her through her orgasm. Never breaking eye contact, he stroked his tongue from her core to her clit. He brushed a soft kiss against it before he licked the same path back to her entrance and circled it with her tongue. He did it again and again and again while her hips were moving against his face lazily, trying to get the most of her pleasure.

When the waves of heated pleasure eventually ceased completely, Felicity loosened her tight grip from Oliver’s hair. She stroked her fingers through it instead, caressing his hair gently. She fought the urge to close her eyes and continued looking at Oliver, who leaned his cheek against her thigh and looked back at her with amazement in his eyes. Her legs were trembling slightly, but Oliver kept his hands on the back of her thighs firmly, keeping her upright.

“For the record,” she said eventually, still sounding breathless, “you look incredibly sexy like this.”

Oliver pushed his tongue against the inside of his mouth and looked up at her cheekily.  “Like what?”

“Like this,” Felicity just replied, her hands moving down his cheeks to his shirt. She pushed the lapels a little further apart before she let her hands travel over his broad shoulders. “Without the suit jacket. Just the vest. The topmost buttons of your shirt unbuttoned. Well, rolled up sleeves would make it look even better.”

“I can help with that.”

Oliver already moved to comply to her wishes. Felicity chuckled and tugged at the collar of Oliver’s shirt instead until he got up on his feet. His body pressed against hers. Felicity slipped out of her shoes, kicking them away, and quickly straightened up onto the tips of her toes to capture Oliver’s lips in a hungry kiss. She could taste herself on his tongue, salty and yet sweet, and it made her moan into Oliver’s mouth.

“Don’t put yourself out on my account,” she mumbled against his lips with a smile. “I am planning on taking these off anyway.”

“Oh, I will gladly help with this.”

Oliver kissed her deeply, stroking his tongue into her mouth and moving the tip of his tongue against the roof of her mouth tenderly. Felicity moaned, but she refused to let that or the fact that Oliver rubbed himself against her, his hardening cock pressing against her core through his pants. She moved her hands to the button border of his shirt. Oliver already unbuttoned his vest at the same time, so she could just slide both pieces of clothing off his shoulders at the same time.

His vest and shirt hadn’t yet hit the floor when Felicity already stroked her hands over his heated skin. Her fingernails scratched over his back lightly, and Oliver moaned into her mouth. The sound made his torso vibrate against hers. Felicity hooked her leg around his hip, opening herself more to Oliver. It allowed his zipper to press right against her clit, and it made her arousal come back with force.

Groaning, Felicity pushed Oliver’s hips far enough away from her, so she could unbuckle his belt, unbutton his pants and lower the zipper. His pants pooled around his ankles, and only his boxer briefs were in the way now. Felicity moved her fingertips along the waistbands of the black fabric before she moved them beneath it. Her fingers explored his butt, and she rested her flat hands against them to pull him back closer to her.

“Who’s the tease now?”

Oliver didn’t give her the chance to answer to his question. He stroked his tongue into her mouth and moved his hips against her firmly. Through the thin layer of his boxer briefs, Felicity could feel how hot and hard he was. He was so ready for her, and Felicity could feel her core clamping down on emptiness, aching to have him fill her. The bare memory of how he felt moving inside of her seemed to push her close to another orgasm.

Felicity moved her fingers from Oliver’s butt to his erection. She grabbed his shaft and squeezed gently. A triumphant smile spread on her lips when Oliver groaned and broke the kiss. He bent his arms, putting his hands back next to her head and letting it fall between his shoulders.

Slowly, Felicity stroked her hand down his shaft to the tip of his cock. She circled the head with her fingers before she moved them back up and cupped his balls. Oliver’s breathing quickened and grew louder. Felicity could almost see him fighting the urge to move his hips. She squeezed his hardness particularly firmly, and he lost the fight. His hips started moving, thrusting into her hand eagerly.

Felicity caught her bottom lip between her front teeth once more and just watched Oliver. His head was still lowered, so she couldn’t see his face. She didn’t have to see his face to know how affected he was by her caress. His heavy breathing, his tense muscles and the rapid movements of his hips were enough for her to know how close to snapping he was.

Indeed, it only took half a minute longer for him to slap her hand away and cover her lips in a searing kiss. Felicity moaned into it and already wanted to deepen the kiss, but Oliver broke away from her. He took off her glasses carefully and put them on the small table next to the door. He looked at her for a moment before he took off her dress and grabbed Felicity at the hips to turn her around and lead her to the bedroom.

Felicity couldn’t wait to fall onto her mattress, take off her bra and the rest of Oliver’s clothes, so they could finally join their bodies and release the sexual tension that had been building up the entire evening.

With Oliver’s pants still pooled around his ankles, Oliver seemed to have trouble walking though. They had just walked past her couch when he suddenly stumbled. He fell forward, causing Felicity to fall backwards. With a screech of surprise, she landed on the floor and almost feared Oliver would crash right into her, but he managed to catch at least some of his weight on his hands.

“Oh my God,” he said quickly. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Yes. I think I am. I-“

Her eyes met Oliver’s, and a moment of silence settled before they both burst out into laughter. Oliver dropped his head to her chest, laughing against her skin, and Felicity cradled his head there. There was not the slightest of awkwardness between them even though the situation could have easily led to some.

Eventually, Oliver wrapped his arms around her waist and turned them, so she was sitting in his lap. He kissed the side of her neck before he angled his head back to look at her. The corners of his lips were still twitching with amusement.

“I always knew pants were dangerous,” Felicity said. “I have no idea why they were invented. You should really take them off.”

Oliver’s chuckle turned into a hum. He kissed the underside of her jaw and let his fingertips travel over her naked back until he reached the clasp of her bra.

“Speaking of unnecessary clothes.”

He took the strapless bra off her and kissed down from her jaw over the side of her neck to her cleavage. He wanted to kiss even further down to her breast, but Felicity grasped his hair and pulled his head back to make him look at her.

“No way,” she told him with a chuckle. “You are overdressed.”

She brushed her lips against his before she got up on her knees, so Oliver could wiggle out of his boxer briefs and push them down to his calves. He slipped out of his shoes and socks and kicked the pants and boxer briefs off.

Slowly, Felicity lowered her body back onto Oliver’s. For a moment, neither of them moved. They just enjoyed sitting there together closely with both of them naked. Felicity could feel his heart beating against hers. His heart was beating firmly though slightly quicker than usually.

Eventually, Oliver straightened up a little, so he could brush his lips against Felicity’s. She sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into his chest like she could just melt her body with his. As slow and as tender the kiss was, it reminded Felicity of how aroused she still was and just much she needed to feel Oliver inside of her. With his cock pressed against her wet folds, it was impossible not to want to move things along.

She broke the kiss, rolling her lips into her mouth and letting her tongue dart out to savor the taste he had left there. When Oliver perked up his eyebrows, she smiled and got back up onto her knees once more. She moved her hands down his chest between their bodies and grabbed hold of his cock. Positioning it at her entrance, she lowered herself onto him slowly.

They hadn’t had sex since the evening Helena had showed up on his doorstep because she wanted him back. After he had asked her out on a date, having sex would have been weird. They hadn’t been rebounds anymore because they had already decided to go out together and try being more. They hadn’t been more at that point already though since they hadn’t even had a first date.

Feeling Oliver seated deep inside of her now, stretching her inner walls in that wonderful way that caused this delicious prickling deep inside of her, she realized how much she had missed him. She had gotten to know Oliver through sex, at least partly. It was a good feeling knowing that, despite the shifts in their relationship, their chemistry in sex hadn’t changed.

Felicity lifted herself off Oliver’s lap slightly. When only the tip of him was still inside of her, she lowered herself back onto him again. She circled her hips, making his cock press against all sides of her inner walls.

Their bodies started moving in perfect synch with each other. Oliver thrust up carefully whenever Felicity moved her hips closer to his lap. It allowed his cock to reach incredibly deep into her. At the same time, his hands stroked up and down her back slowly, his thumbs grazing the side of her breasts. Felicity moved her fingers through his hair gently. The entire time, their eyes stayed locked onto each other’s.

Soft waves of pleasure were running through Felicity’s body. She could feel her muscles tensing and her nerve endings being set on fire. She could already feel an orgasm approaching, way too soon for her liking but impossible to stop.

“Oliver.”

She whispered his name softly, letting her know that she was already close to tumbling over the edge again. Oliver nodded and put his hands to her hips, holding them tightly. His hips continued moving in synch with hers, thrusting just a little bit more firmly.

It was all Felicity needed. She felt her toes starting to prickle right before the pleasure rushed through her body. A soundless cry fell from her lips, and her hand tightened in his hair. When the spasms that ran through her body made it impossible for her to continue moving the way she wanted and the way Oliver needed, he tightened his grip on her hips and turned them.

She lay down on the scratchy carpet, and covered her body with his. He broke the eye contact, burying his face against the side of her neck, and continued thrusting. Felicity’s butt and shoulder blades rubbed against the carpet, and she was sure it would leave ugly, red wounds on her skin. She could already feel the burning on her skin, but she didn’t complain. It was worth it.

“Felicity.”

Her name fell off his lips when his hips stuttered and his cock jerked inside of her. His warm breath ghosted over the top of her chest. It made goosebumps spread all over her skin.

The waves of pleasure faded slowly and their hips stopped rocking against each other. They lay on the carpet in silence, their bodies pressed together and their limbs entangled. Oliver’s head rested in the crook of Felicity’s neck, his lips brushing against her skin slightly every now and then. Felicity tried to catch her breath, stroking her fingers through Oliver’s hair. She hadn’t even noticed that she had a thing for his hair until tonight.

“This was great.”

“This was even better dessert than the crème brûlée at the restaurant.”

Oliver chuckled, propping himself up onto his forearms. He looked at her quietly for a moment. Amazement was sparkling in his eyes, and it made Felicity lean back with a content sigh. She framed his face with her hands and moved his fingertips through his stubble.

“You sound surprised,” Oliver said and nuzzled her nose with another quiet chuckle. “Why is that?”

“Because that crème brûlée tasted like heaven.”

Again, Oliver chuckled and pecked her lips. “I will make my special soufflé for you. Then you know what heaven tastes like.”

“I cannot wait.”

Smiling, Oliver lowered his head to capture her lips with his. Felicity sighed, stroking her fingertips over his back in a featherlight touch. When Oliver’s hands snuck under her body and his fingertips brushed against her shoulder blades, Felicity hissed slightly though. It caused Oliver to pull away quickly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Felicity replied and dismissed it. “The carpet rubbed against my skin. I am a little bit sore.”

“Well, I guess we will better move to bed then.”

Oliver pecked her lips tenderly and slipped out of her. They both groaned at the loss of contact, and Oliver let his head fall into the crook of Felicity’s neck once more. He quickly got up on his feet though. Felicity was already reaching out her hand, so he could help her getting up. Oliver just chuckled and lifted her into his arms instead.

He carried her to the bedroom and lay her down on the mattress carefully. Felicity sighed at the feeling of the cold bedding against her maltreated skin.

“I am going to the bathroom,” Oliver told her and kissed the tip of her nose. “I will be back in a second.”

Felicity just hummed sleepily and closed her eyes. She could hear Oliver crossing the room to the bathroom door at the opposite side of the bedroom and smiled. After the good dinner and the wonderful sex, she felt incredibly tired. She could probably just sleep like this, but she didn’t want to miss the chance of talking to Oliver for some time longer either.

When Oliver came back from the bathroom, he held a wet washcloth in one hand and her hydrating cream in the other. Felicity turned onto her side, perking up her eyebrows. Oliver just smiled and stepped to the foot of the bed. He put her cream away and adjusted the position of the washcloth in her hands. He grabbed her right foot and pushed her legs slightly apart.

“May I?”

Felicity nodded. “Sure.”

With slow and gentle movements, Oliver wiped the remains of their sex away. The warm washcloth felt good and pleasant against her sensitive skin. When Oliver wiped it over her sex, Felicity had to bite down on her bottom lip to suppress a strangled moan. She was still so very sensitive from her two orgasms before.

Oliver noticed it if the grin on his face was any indication. He didn’t say anything about it though. He just dropped the washcloth to the floor and grabbed the tube of hydrating cream.

“What are you doing?” Felicity asked when he applied some of the cream to his fingers.

“I am taking care of you,” Oliver replied and started massaging the cream into the skin of her inner thighs where little, red bruises were building. “I can’t let you suffer from beard burn.”

Felicity smiled to herself and just hummed. She didn’t know if there was anything to say, so she decided to just say nothing.

“Are you coming into bed to me now?” Felicity asked, when the cream was massaged into her skin completely. “Please?”

“Soon.” Oliver smiled and lifted her foot to kiss her toes. “First, you gotta turn on your stomach though.”

“Oh, do I get a massage now?”

“Maybe.” Oliver chuckled. “First, we will take care of your shoulders and butt though.”

Again, Felicity hummed. She turned onto her stomach, resting her face on her arms. She closed her eyes with a sigh, letting Oliver take care of her. Thanks to his gentle touch and the coolness of the cream, touching the bruises the carpet had left on her didn’t hurt the slightest.

Once Oliver had taken care of her, his lips brushed against her lower back. He kissed his way up her spine, crawling onto bed over her. When he finally lowered himself on top of her, his face snuggled into the crook of her neck. He wrapped his arms around her stomach and turned them onto their sides. Felicity smiled, resting her head against his bicep and stroking her hands up and down Oliver’s forearms.

They lay in silence like that. Felicity could feel Oliver’s heart beating against her back. It only took a moment for her heart to adapt to the rhythm.

“Can I stay here tonight?”

Felicity turned around to Oliver with a smile. She brushed her lips against his and pushed a leg between both of his.

“You can stay for as many nights as you want to,” Felicity told him. “The longer, the better.”

Smiling, Oliver wiped a thumb over her bottom lip. When Felicity kissed it, he smiled. With a sigh, he angled his head forward and rested his forehead against hers.

“Felicity?”

“Hm?”

“Are we-“

When Oliver stopped, hesitant to ask what Felicity whatever he wanted to ask, she leaned her head back. She looked at his face with a frown, narrowing her eyes at him slightly.

“Are we what?”

“Together,” it blurted out of Oliver all of a sudden. “Are we together like in a real relationship or are we just… I don’t know… dating and testing where this is going?”

Felicity thought about his words for a moment. She had never been in a position like this. She had never had casual sex with a guy, lived with him for a couple of weeks and started dating him after that. If things were different, she knew it would be too soon to call this a relationship. Technically, it had just been one date and sex. It felt like a lot more though because things weren’t different. They were what they were.

“Yes,” Felicity replied eventually, nodding her head. “Yes, I think we are together. We have a real relationship.”

Oliver smiled. “Good.”

He angled his head forward and brushed his lips against hers tenderly. Sighing into the kiss, Felicity opened her mouth to the touch of his tongue. Oliver rolled her onto her back and covered his body with hers. He propped himself up onto his forearms and looked at her with an amused smile.

“I think we should set some new ground rules for our relationship.”

Felicity perked up her eyebrows. “You mean new rules to break?”

Oliver chuckled. “Why else set rules?”

Puckering her lips, Felicity thought about it for a moment. Rules shouldn’t be set lightly after all, especially when they wanted to live up to their tradition and continue breaking them.

“Okay,” she said eventually, nodding her head. “You will never make me breakfast in bed.”

“You will never make me a massage.”

“We are never going to have movie night again.”

Oliver hummed, thinking about his next rule briefly. “You will never try the salmon ladder again.”

Felicity chuckled. She didn’t remember much of their night with all the vodka. She knew that she had tried and miserably failed the salmon ladder though.

“We are never going to have a doubt date with John and Lyla,” she added eventually.

“We are never going to ask the other for their opinion.”

“We are never going to be creative in the bedroom or any other rooms for that matter.”

Oliver wiggled with his eyebrows, making Felicity chuckle. She knew this was one of the rules that was easiest to break. Actually, she planned on breaking it tonight already.

“Our eight rule,” Oliver said after a moment. “You will never surprise me with lingerie.”

“We will never have a good fight.”

“Oh, and we will never tease each other with ‘Honey’ and ‘Darling’ like we did before.”

They looked at each other quietly for a moment. Nobody moved or said a word. They just thought through their new rules, thinking about all the ways they could break them.

“I give it a week.”

“At most.” Oliver chuckled, nodding his head. “Actually, I am planning to break our seventh rule right now if you are up to it.”

Felicity wiggled with her eyebrows and pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek.

“I was actually thinking about the same.”

“Good.”

Their lips met in a searing kiss. Like magnets, their bodies moved together again. Felicity hoped this night would never end. Her life could go on like this forever.


	15. Step 4: Rules are made to be broken

Keeping her head propped up on one hand, Felicity drew invisible lines on Oliver’s chest and watched his face. His eyes were closed, and every muscle in his face looked relaxed. Only the quiet smile on his lips told Felicity that he wasn’t asleep yet.

“You are sleepy.”

“I’m just resting my eyes a little.”

Felicity’s smile widened as Oliver didn’t even open his eyes as he said that. Her fingers moved up the side of his neck and brushed through the stubble on his cheek. When her thumb grazed the corner of his lips, Oliver pulled her hand to his lips. He pressed a kiss to the palm of her hand before he rested it against his heart.

With a tired sigh, Felicity lay back down. She rested her head against Oliver’s shoulders and stretched out her legs. Her foot rubbed up and down his shinbone and her fingers spread over his heart. A tired yawn felt from her lips, and she closed her eyes, snuggling her cheek against his skin.

“And you reproach me of being sleepy.”

“I wasn’t sleepy before,” Felicity replied. “I just realized now that I won’t have time to go back to Smoak Tech which means I can lie here and be lazy for five minutes before I have to hop under the shower. Again. I am completely sweaty because of you, Mister.”

That made Oliver open his eyes. With a chuckle, he turned onto his side. It caused her head to slip from his shoulder and onto the pillow. Frowning at him with mild anger, Felicity watched him propping his head up onto his hand and moving the forefinger of his other hand over her chest lightly. It was an exact reversal of the scene between them five seconds before.

“I didn’t hear you complain before.”

The corner of Felicity’s lips twitched, and she saw that it was the same for Oliver. Smiling, Felicity lifted her hand and brushed her thumbs against her lips.

“You know, I still don’t actually complain.”

“Good,” Oliver replied and chuckled, “because it was totally your fault.”

“Oh really?” Felicity perked up her eyebrows. “Why would you think that?”

“Because you were dancing around in your underwear, and underwear is a quite innocent term for that lingerie you have been wearing.”

Felicity chuckled and turned onto her side too now. She mirrored his position and moved so close that the tip of her nose almost brushed against his whenever they took in a breath. Without saying anything, they just stayed like that and looked at each other. It was a pleasant silence that was between them, the kind of silence that had been between them so many times in the last week since their first date.

“It’s only been a week, and we have already broken all the rules.”

“It was a lot of fun.”

Oliver wiggled with his eyebrows, making the corners of Felicity’s lips twitch. She felt a blush spreading on her cheeks though she knew it was stupid. After everything they had done together, all the hours they had rolled around between the sheets, she knew Oliver saying they had had fun breaking their rules should not make her blush.

If anyone else would be lying in bed with her, she’d blush because she wouldn’t feel that comfortable with the mention of sex while lying naked in bed with him. She couldn’t even say why that was the case. Maybe it was because the men she had been with had never given her the feeling like her sexuality was something they should talk about. They hadn’t exactly made her feel like she had to be ashamed for it, but, unlike Oliver, they hadn’t made her feel like it was a much appreciated and desirable feature of her.

Everything just seemed to be easier with Oliver because he made it so easy. Something about him just made her feel comfortable. Maybe Felicity couldn’t say what it was, but there was something about Oliver just relaxed everything inside of her. Maybe the edges of their hearts and souls just fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.

“Speaking of fun,” Felicity said eventually and cleared her throat. “I think fun is over, and it’s time for me to hop in the shower now.”

Felicity brushed her lips against Oliver’s. Smiling, she deepened the kiss and rolled herself on top of him. Oliver was about to pull the blanket between them away, so their naked bodies could press together once more. Before he could do so, Felicity had already rolled off him and gotten off the bed.

When Oliver groaned in frustration, Felicity just grinned to herself. Walking towards the bathroom, completely naked, she stretched out her hands above her head and bent them to the side slowly. If the slightly strangled chuckle was any indication, Oliver didn’t miss how it made her spine seem so much longer and her body just so much more flexible.

Stepping in front of the mirror, she took her hairbrush and brushed her hair. Her blonde hair that fell in their natural curls thanks to Oliver’s distraction before were terribly tousled. She could barely get through the thick knots, so she decided not to continue trying.

Just when Felicity put the hairbrush away, she saw Oliver stepping into the frame of the door. He watched her for a moment, letting his eyes drift down her back slowly, before he stepped towards her. His chest brushed against her back slightly. The touch was barely there, so Felicity actually had to focus on feeling it.

As soon as his eyes met Felicity’s in the mirror, Oliver closed the distance between them. With his chest pressing to her back, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and lowered his head to the crook of her neck. With a sigh, Felicity leaned back against Oliver and closed her eyes.

It should be impossible to feel so comfortable around a person and be so distracted by them at the same time. Felicity had always been focused on work. She hadn’t wanted to be distracted. Now here she was, being distracted by Oliver yet again, and she didn’t mind at all.

“Are you trying to break our seventh rule yet again?”

Oliver hummed against her pulse point. The sound vibrated in his chest and it echoed against Felicity’s back. She smiled, enjoying the feeling.

“I love our seventh rule.”

“We have broken it very thoroughly.”

“Oh, yes we did,” Oliver replied, and Felicity could feel him smiling against her skin. “I think we need new and harder rules.”

Feeling her core starting to prickle at the way Oliver had said that, she opened her eyes. The moment they locked with Oliver’s in the mirror, Felicity knew that he had said what he had said in the way he had said it on purpose. Oliver had indeed intended for Felicity to catch the implication.

It was crazy. Despite the awesome love making this morning and the hot sex they had had like ten minute ago, Felicity could already feel her body wanting more. She wanted to feel him again, pressed against her and pulsating inside of her. If her sexual hunger increased at this rate, she’d probably become addicted and die from sexual exhaustion.

Oliver just made her feel so good that she considered him to be a temptation she just couldn’t resist.

“Harder sounded great.”

With a sigh of defeat, Felicity turned around. Her arms hadn’t wrapped around Oliver’s neck completely yet when their lips already crushed together in a hungry kiss. Their bodies melted together and Oliver’s arms wrapped around Felicity’s waist so tightly that he actually lifted her off the floor slightly. Only her toes brushed against the warm tiles occasionally.

Tightening his arms around her, Oliver walked her into the shower cabin. Pressing her back against the cold tiles on the wall, he turned on the stream of water and grabbed her wrists to push them above her head and keep them against the tiles. His chest pressed against hers, keeping her caught between the wall in her back and his chest in front of him.

Her lungs were already burning from the need for breath. When she couldn’t take it any longer, she angled her head back, breaking the kiss. Oliver lost no time and let his lips travel down the side of her neck. His teeth scratched over her skin lightly before his tongue soothed the ungentle touch. Combines with the prickling of the hot water on her warm skin, it felt incredibly good. Felicity angled her head, giving Oliver an even better access to her neck.

Meanwhile Oliver’s arms loosened around her waist. His hands started moving between them. His left hand took an upward path over her ribs to her breast. His fingers brushed against her nipple and circled her areola with slow movements.

At the same time, his his right hand moved downwards, dipping into her belly button before lowering even more between her legs. Felicity held her breath, expecting him to go right for her core, but instead his fingertips brushed high against the insides of her thighs. Despite not touching her most sensitive parts, the anticipation was enough to make Felicity’s stomach tighten.

Felicity moaned already. She arched her back to press herself closer to Oliver and his hands. Her own hands moved down the side of his body behind her to his hips where she let them move down to his butt, pulling him closer. She could feel his already hardened cock pressing against her thigh and it only increased her arousal.

Felicity’s fingers had dug into the back of Oliver’s arms as she was clinging onto him for leverage. Her feet were slipping on the wet floor of the shower. Oliver seemed to realize it because he pressed even closer to her. Lifting one leg over his hip, he kept her captive between the shower wall and his body.

Eventually, Oliver’s lips abandoned the spot on her neck and moved upward over her jaw to her cheek and finally the corner of her mouth. Felicity turned her head, feeling her heart skip a beat at the way Oliver looked at her.

The way Oliver looked at her was one of the many things Felicity loved about Oliver and about their relationship so much. They could make sweet love, taking their time to explore each other’s body and be incredibly gentle with each other. Other times, they were just so hungry for each other that they ravished each other like they had when it had just been sex between them. Still, they could stop and look at the other with so much intensity. It was crazy.

Their lips brushed against the other’s. Felicity could feel Oliver smile against her lips. When the tingling in her body, the longing to feel his lips on hers more firmly, grew unbearable Felicity straightened up just a little bit more, pressing her lips to his in a demanding kiss.

At the same time, Oliver let his fingers drift between her wet folds.

They moaned in unison, opening their lips to each other. Their tongues met in a slow dance. They clung onto each other. Oliver’s fingers kept playing with her nipple and the sensitive, wet flesh at her entrance. His hips pressed against her thigh, making his cock move against her wet skin.

Felicity felt her pleasure increasing quickly. Her legs started trembling, barely holding her anymore, so she just leaned back against Oliver and trusted him to carry her weight like she knew he would. Eventually, Oliver’s thumb flicked her clit. Her head fell back, bumping against the cold tiles. Her eyes locked with his that were already on her. Her lips opened in a soundless cry when her orgasm ripped through her.

She could hear the echo of her heartbeat in her ear, and she felt her core clenching around his fingers in the same rhythm. Even Oliver’s heart that she could feel against her rips seemed to adapt to the rhythm.

While she was trying to catch her breath, Oliver pulled his fingers out of her. A needy whimper fell from her lips at the feeling of loss.

Once Felicity came down from her high, she realized that she must have closed her eyes. Taking in a deep breath, she opened them. Oliver had rested his head against her shoulder, and Felicity had to pull his head back by grabbing his hair to make him look at her. Their eyes looked for a moment before Felicity pressed herself as close to him as possible. Their lips met in another heated kiss that made a new wave of pleasure grow inside of her quickly. She was still so very sensitive from the orgasm she just had, and yet she was already ready for more too.

Oliver seemed to sense how eager she was because he pressed her closer to the wall once more. His lips went for her neck again. Felicity allowed her fingers to move from his back over his shoulders to the front of his chest. With slow movements, she let them travel down. She enjoyed the feeling of his defined muscles beneath her fingertips. She scratched her nails over his soft skin tenderly.

Oliver’s lips moved higher on her neck and behind her ear, sucking at the one spot that made her toes curl. Over the last weeks, Felicity had noticed that he loved that spot right behind and slightly under her ear. Luckily, she loved if he kissed that spot.

When Felicity gripped his hardened length, Oliver quickly pulled his hands away from where they had been resting on Felicity’s butt. They slammed them to the cold tiles right next to her head like he needed that hold for balance. His head dropped to her shoulder, his forehead resting there. His hips thrust into her hand slowly.

“Felicity.”

Felicity loved having him at her mercy like that, and she loved having him breathe out her name in that needy whisper. It made a moan rise in her throat, but she bit it back. She wanted to focus on his pleasure just like he had focused on hers before. She moved her hand up and down his length in rhythmic strokes, enjoying how she felt him grow even harder with her caress.

“Felicity.”

The new growl of her name made her hum contently. A warm shiver ran down the length of her spine. She squeezed his length, feeling Oliver’s breath hitch while he thrust into her hand a little more sharply.

“This isn’t going to end well, Felicity,” he whispered, and his hands tried to move her fingers away from his cock, but Felicity refused to let go. “Let’s rather come together.”

With that, Oliver pulled her fingers away from his cock and thrust into her. It was just a single stroke, but it buried his cock deep inside of her tight core. Oliver’s hips stilled. With his hands at her butt, Oliver pulled her upwards until her legs wrapped around his hips. Felicity tightened her legs around his hips, locking eyes with him.

There was a moment of pause before Oliver’s hands, still on her butt, angled her hips to make him enter her as deeply as possible. His chest pressed against hers. Their hearts beat in perfect unison. Oliver’s blue eyes were darker than usually, hungry for her. The intensity of his gaze made a tingle spread from the pit of her stomach all the way down through her core. She could feel her walls flutter around his cock in response.

They started moving at the same time. Their lips met halfway in a passionate and yet slow kiss. Oliver pulled out slightly before thrusting back in. His skin rubbed against her clit, making Felicity moan into his mouth, and she could almost feel Oliver swallowing the sound of pleasure before his tongue slipped into her mouth. Felicity’s hands stroked over his back, stroking and scratching his soft skin.

It didn’t take long until their movements became much faster. The aftermath of their orgasms from before as well as the teasing in the shower had left them aroused and ready for more. The splashing sound of the water mixed with the slapping sound of skin hitting against skin with each of Oliver’s thrusts.

Felicity felt her pleasure increasing rapidly. When her breaths became shorter and her lungs felt like they were on fire, the need for breath almost unbearably, she threw her head back. It bumped against the bathroom tiles almost a little too firmly. The groan of pain was drowned by a moan of pleasure when a particularly hard thrust made her muscles twitch.

“Oliver.“

She whispered his name with hoarse voice, letting him know how close she was. Just like he had said, she wanted them to come together. If the way his fingers tightened against her butt were any indication, Oliver was probably as far on the edge as she was.

Without any hesitation of faltering, Oliver kept going. His thrusts grew quicker and harder. He angled her hips, so he could hit the sweet spot inside of her. It made her moan every time.

Felicity’s legs tightened around Oliver’s hips once more. Her heels were digging into his butt cheeks so firmly, that she wouldn’t be surprised if they left bruises there. Her arms tightened around his neck.

Oliver’s thrusts grew even faster and firmer when his pleasure increased, and Felicity could see him clench his jaws tightly, telling her that he was close.

She bit down on her bottom lip, feeling her orgasm approaching. It wouldn’t take much longer. She was so close to the edge that a gust of wind would be enough to push her over it. Something inside of her, maybe a little part that wanted Oliver to take her hand and jump off the cliff with her, was fighting the wind that wanted to push her over the edge.

Soon, Felicity realized that she couldn’t take it any longer. The temptation to give into the prickling was too strong. With the last strength she had, she tightened the muscles of her core around Oliver’s cock, increasing the pressure on him.

It was all Oliver needed to trigger his orgasm. His cock jerked inside of her, his seed filling her channel. Felicity’s muscles fluttered around his cock until the fluttering went over into a pulsating movement, milking him even more.

Felicity let her head drop to his shoulder. Her arms wrapped around his neck loosely. Her body felt like wax of a hot candle, melting with his body perfectly. Pushing her nose against his skin and breathing in the scent of his skin, Felicity closed her eyes.

“God.”

As soon as the whispered sigh fell from Oliver’s lips with a long exhale, Felicity lifted her head to look at him. She chuckled, amused by his reaction. Looking at him, she realized that he looked like he was completely in awe, and it only made her chuckle more.

“What?” she asked, brushing her fingertips against his lips. “Did you only now realize how great we harmonize when it comes to sex?”

Oliver chuckled. “I would have to be blind, deaf and crazy not to realize that before.”

“True.”

They smiled at each other amusedly. Their lips met in a gentle kiss. Felicity let her fingers drift down Oliver’s back slowly before she lowered her feet to the floor. It caused Oliver to slip out of her, and they both groaned at the feeling of loss.

When Oliver took a step back, Felicity leaned back against the wall with a sigh. She watched Oliver stepping under the stream of shower and resting his head back. The water ran down his naked body, accentuating his muscles in just the right way it seemed.

Felicity remembered the first shower she and Oliver had taken together. With a smile on her lips, she grabbed the bottle of shower gel and applied some of it into her hand. She rubbed her hands together until they were full of foam. She stepped towards Oliver and started massaging the soft foam into his wet skin. Immediately, Oliver’s eyes opened and locked onto hers. She could in the expression in his eyes as well as the way he pushed his tongue against the inside of her cheek that he remembered their first shower as well as Felicity did.

Felicity let her fingers slide over his naked skin slowly. Oliver watched her for a while before he moved his hands over his own chest to gather some of the foam and massage it into her skin. His hands moved over her stomach gently, and his fingers snuck into her belly button. Felicity giggled since she was incredibly ticklish.

With a sigh, she leaned against Oliver’s chest. Her hands moved from his abs over his waist to his back. She angled her head back to look at Oliver, and he smiled back at her. He kissed her forehead caringly and still smiled when he looked at her again.

“So this between us,” Oliver said eventually and cleared his throat.

Felicity perked up her eyebrows. “You mean our relationship?”

Oliver’s smile widened and he captured her lips in a chaste kiss. His hands moved to her cheek, cupping her face. His thumbs brushed against the corners of her mouth. When some foam got into her nose, Felicity pulled away though. She shook her head and scratched the tip of her nose. Oliver just watched her without saying a word, smiling at her quietly.

“Are we going to tell John and Lyla about our relationship?”

Felicity watched Oliver’s face intently while he was waiting for her answer. He tried to hide it by avoiding her gaze slightly, but she could still see that he was nervous about her possible answer. He wanted a certain result and from the way his hands caressed the tense muscle at her lower back, Felicity was pretty sure that she knew what answer he was hoping her.

A thousand little butterflies seemed to flutter inside of her stomach at the thought. She knew how serious Oliver was about her relationship, and she was sure he knew that she felt the same way too. Still, seeing how he was basically holding her breath while he was waiting for her to say if they were going tell their friends about their relationship meant a lot to her.

Felicity’s smile widened. It had been fun keeping things a secret between them for the last days. Not telling anyone that they were dating had increased the excitement about their relationship. Sneaking around to see each other without anyone knowing they were seeing each other just added this little bit of tension and secrecy to what they had.

“It is fun sneaking around,” Felicity said eventually.

“It is.”

Though Oliver grinned, it didn’t completely reach his eyes. Smiling, Felicity pulled her bottom lip between her front teeth and leaned against him. She cocked her head, watching his face quietly for a moment.

“I think we should tell them though.”

“We should?”

Felicity’s smile widened at the expression on his face. She could see that he was relieved about her answer though he tried really hard to hide it.

“I think we should, yes.”

“Good.”

Smiling, Oliver lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss. Felicity straightened up onto the tips of her toes, pressing herself even closer to Oliver and deepening the kiss. Her tongue stroked into his mouth, tasting his tongue on hers.

Felicity could feel her nerve endings prickle at his touch and quickly pulled away with a groan. There really was no time for another round. That would have to wait until they were back from their dinner date with their friends.

“I will go taking care of my hair now,” she said firmly though she couldn’t contain a smile at the way Oliver looked at her. “You be nice and stay here.”

She had already turned towards the shower door when Oliver held her back. His fingers brushed against the palm of her hand.

“Felicity?”

She turned back around to him with a smile, perking up her eyebrows. She frowned slightly at the way Oliver looked at her with a light hint of nervousness in his eyes. Before she could say anything or ask him what was wrong, he already smiled at her and shook his head.

“Nothing,” he said quickly and kissed the palm of her hand. “See you in five minutes.”

“I’ll already be dressed.”

When Oliver groaned at that, Felicity chuckled. She stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel from the rim of the bathtub and wrapped it around her chest with her back still turned towards Oliver. She looked back at him over her shoulder when she walked to the sink and chuckled at the slightly grumpy expression on his face.

 

* * * * *

 

“Ready?”

“No.” Oliver sighed. “You?”

“Not really.”

Felicity scrunched up her nose, staring at the number on the door in front of her. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she already felt heat spreading on her skin from nervousness. Still, she squeezed Oliver’s hand comfortingly, knowing he was just as nervous as she was.

“Let’s go.”

As little as she felt like it, she knew that she was right to suggest this. They just had to close their eyes and jump headfirst into this, and the longer they would wait the harder it would be at the end. Squeezing Oliver’s hand once more, she let go of his fingers and lifted her hand to knock at the door.

It only a took a couple of seconds before Felicity heard large steps inside the apartment. A moment later, the door was opened. John looked them up and down with an unreadable expression on his face. He nodded slightly like he was confirming to himself that they were really there together like he hadn’t been able that this kind of double-date was happening until he had seen Oliver and Felicity in front of his door.

Felicity wondered if John realized that things weren’t the same they had been when they had last seen each other. She quickly pushed that thought away though and stepped forward with a smile.

“Hi, John,” she said. She hugged him and kissed his cheek like she always did when she saw him. “Thanks for the invitation.”

“You are very welcome.”

When Felicity stepped out of his arms, she walked right past him into the apartment of her friends. The delicious smell of food got to her nose – not as delicious as the food Oliver had spoilt her with lately, but much more delicious than the takeout she was usually living from. Only now she realized how hungry she was. She wasn’t used to this much physical workout. It had really made her hungry.

“Where’s Lyla?”

Turning back around to John and Oliver, she watched the two friends in a brief, manly hug. They were clapping their backs before they pulled apart and turned around towards her.

“Already here.”

While Oliver and John looked past her to the kitchen door, Felicity turned around. She smiled when her best friend was approaching her with Baby Sara walking right in front of her mother with insecure steps but a proud smile on her lips. It was the first time Felicity saw her little goddaughter walk, and she felt her heart filling with pride at the sight though she knew that she had nothing to do with this success.

“Hey, little girl.”

Felicity got down onto her knees and spread her arms. Squealing happily, Sara walked right into her arms. Felicity wrapped her arms around the toddler tightly, kisser her head and lifted her into her arms.

“Finally, I get to see you walk.”

Lyla chuckled. “She’s been running all around the apartment nonstop those last days.”

“You just wanted to wait for the right time to show me, right?”

Felicity chuckled and tickled her goddaughter’s tummy. The little girl squealed and let her head fall against Felicity’s shoulder. Her fingers tightened in the fabric of Felicity’s dress and she snuggled herself as close to her as possible.

Someone was definitely sleepy though Felicity couldn’t really say whether it was Sara or her who was this tired. While Sara definitely felt like she was about to just fall asleep in Felicity’s arms, Felicity felt like she wasn’t far from falling asleep standing here too, especially with Sara’s warm body pressed against her chest. She could even feel her slow and even heartbeat against her rips. It was soothing.

Resting her head against Sara’s, Felicity lifted her gaze. Her eyes met Oliver’s, and she felt her heart skip a beat at the warm expression in his eyes. A quiet smile was playing on his lips, barely visible for anyone but her. At least that – that only she could see his smile – was what Felicity wanted to believe.

When the silence threatened to become just a beat too long, Oliver quickly put on a mocking grin.

“When did you start liking babies?”

“I always liked babies,” Felicity replied, “or this baby at least.”

“And yet you didn’t want to move in here,” Lyla said.

When Sara started struggling in Felicity’s arms, not wanting to be held any longer, Felicity let her back down. Immediately, the little girl went to explore the apartment like it was her first time here. Felicity watched after her for a moment, smiling to herself, before she turned back to Oliver, John and Lyla. All three of them were looking at her.

“I love my little goddaughter as long as she is content and quiet. When she cries, I am just not her biggest fan.”

Lyla chuckled. “I cannot hold it against her. She does have quiet some lungs.”

“She doesn’t have that from me.”

Lyla slapped her husband’s chest playfully. While the two of them looked at each other amusedly, Felicity cocked her head at Oliver.

“Don’t pretend that you didn’t enjoy us living together.”

“It was okay,” Oliver replied. “At most.”

There was a teasing sparkle in his eyes, and Felicity knew that they would continue with this kind of teasing once they were back home – his home since they spent most of their time there.

Felicity cleared her throat, about to maybe bring back up Sara finally being able to walk even if it was a weak try to clear the sexual tension that was sparking between her and Oliver. If the way John and Lyla looked back and forth between the two of them, it might have been just a second too late though. When John’s eyes met hers, Felicity lowered her gaze to her feet and tried to hide her smile behind puckered lips.

“So, are you two still seeing each other?”

Felicity didn’t miss the subtle undertone in Lyla’s voice. When she looked at her friend, she saw the same expression in her eyes that she had already heard in her voice. There was nosiness there and a hint of something more that told Felicity that Lyla already suspected there was something going on. She just needed it confirmed.

Hesitating for only a brief second, Felicity looked at Oliver. He looked back at her, his shoulders hunched as his hands were pushed deep into the pockets of his pants. They both nodded barely visible, but it was enough for the other to see. When Felicity smiled, Oliver reached out his hand. Felicity laced her fingers with his and let Oliver tug against his side. He kissed her temple, making Felicity smile and almost melt against his side.

“We are dating.”

Oliver’s words made Felicity smile. She was so used to the thought that they were dating that sometimes it even felt like they had been dating for years. Still, whenever he said it out loud, it still felt so incredibly new. Dozens of butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach.

“Oh really?” John asked and his voice left no doubt that this did not come as a surprise to him. “Consider me not surprised at all.”

Oliver and Felicity exchanged a brief glance. The same surprise she felt was mirrored in Oliver’s eyes.

“You knew?” they asked in chorus when they both turned back.

“Well, since the last time we have been in the loft, there hasn’t been much doubt,” John replied. “The way you looked at each other and acted around each other.”

“The only thing we were betting about when we came back home that day,” Lyla added, “was whether or not you had already been dating at that time.”

“We haven’t,” Felicity explained. “We actually decided on going out on a date together that day.”

“Instead of breaking up.”

Oliver looked at Felicity and leaned in. Instead of kissing her lips, he just brushed them against the tip of her nose. Felicity scrunched up her nose, but she giggled amusedely.

“Ha!”

Lyla threw her hand up in a triumphant gesture before she held out the palm of her hand. Sighing, John reached into the pocket of his pants and put a banknote into her hand. With a grin on her lips, Lyla let the banknote disappear in her bra.

“You actually betted money on this?” Oliver asked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Really?”

Resting her chin against his shoulder, Felicity watched him. His pretended anger made her smile only wide. He was cute pretending to be angry when he wasn’t.

“Unfortunately,” John said with clenched jaws, “I did. I should have known better that you two don’t get things done easily and smoothly.”

“I think it serves you right to lose your money to your wife if you bet on something like that.”

John puckered his lips, but he nodded slowly in agreement. Crossing his arms in front of his chest like Oliver had, he watched the two of them.

“Are you happy?”

Oliver and Felicity looked at each other, both of them smiling. They didn’t need to say the words to know the truth. They were both incredibly happy with each other, happier than both of them had been in a long time probably.

“Well, I guess that doesn’t need an answer,” Lyla said softly. “Everything else, you can tell us over dinner. It’s time.”

 

* * * * *

 

They strolled down the long avenue hand in hand. Neither of them said a word, but they didn’t mind. There was a pleasant silence between them, the kind of silence that only existed between people who knew each other deep in their bones.

Smiling, Felicity thought back to the wonderful evening she had had. She didn’t remember when she had had this much fun the last time. There had been a lot of laughter tonight. The atmosphere had just been great. They had all felt so comfortable around each other that there just hadn’t been any room for any awkwardness to settle in.

When Oliver moved his thumb over the back of her hand in a particularly slow rhythm, she lifted her gaze to his face. She wasn’t surprised to find him deep in thought. He was frowning slightly, the expression in his eyes empty. He looked like he was somewhere completely else.

Felicity squeezed his hand gently. Blinking a couple of times, he turned his head towards her. The thoughtful expression vanished from his face, and a smile spread on his lips instead. There was something warm in his eyes, something that Felicity felt she could just lose herself in, especially because she knew it was just for her.

Eventually, Oliver angled his head forward and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. Felicity sighed into the kiss and leaned herself even more against his arm. Oliver tightened his fingers around her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her even closer against his side. His lips brushed against her temple.

“Do you think it’s too early?”

His were lips still resting against her skin, so his warm breath ghosted over her cheek. Goosebumps spread down Felicity’s back, and she could feel heat rising to her cheeks as she blushed. She wondered if there would ever be a time when she wouldn’t blush.

“Too early for what?”

“For our trip together.” Oliver tightened his arm around her shoulders. “I got the feeling that, when we told John and Lyla that we consider visiting both our families together, they seemed surprised.”

Felicity puckered her lips, thinking about her answer thoroughly. She had indeed caught up on that too. They had seemed quite surprised when the conversation had turned to this subject.

“It’s probably just because we do everything out of order,” she said eventually and shrugged her shoulders. “We had sex before we introduced ourselves to each other. We were living together before we became a couple. We were together before we got together-together. It might feel weird to them, but it makes sense for the kind of history we have. I mean we can still introduce each other as friends or travel buddies. From sex buddies to travel buddies.”

They both chuckled at that. After being first rebounds, then friends and now a couple, travel buddies would just be another title on the list.

“I doubt anyone would believe us with the way we look at each other,” Oliver said and kissed the top of her head. “Besides, I don’t want to miss out on any opportunity to be as close to you as possible whenever I can.”

Felicity smiled. A feeling of warmth ran through her body like it always did when Oliver said such a sweet thing to her. She loved how affectionate he was with the way he said things.

“So, how exactly do you think we are looking at each other?”

When Oliver turned his head to look at her, an amused grin playing on his lips, Felicity puckered her lips once more. She was sure that he could see the smile sparkling in her eyes.

“You,” Oliver said and kissed the tip of her nose, “look at me like you want to rip off my clothes and lick my body.”

“I like licking your body.” Felicity put her hand to Oliver’s stomach and moved her fingers up and down. Through his shirt, she could feel the defined muscles. “Especially your abs.”

“Oh, I have noticed.”

Oliver brushed his thumb against Felicity’s cheek before he leaned in. His lips captured hers in a gentle kiss. Felicity sighed against his lips, and her fingers clenched around the front of his shirt. When he pulled away slightly, he perked up his eyebrows.

“And what do you see when I look at you?”

“You definitely look like you think I hung the sun, the stars and the moon.”

Oliver gasped for breath with pretended shock. “You didn’t actually do that? Everything between us is a lie.”

Felicity laughed, amused by his foolery. She loved how much fun they had. Even when Oliver didn’t try to be particularly funny, she caught herself laughing about what he said. It was just so easy to be carefree around him.

When Oliver suddenly stopped in his steps, Felicity perked up her eyebrows. Before she got to say anything, Oliver had his arms wrapped around her waist already. He pulled her against his broad body until she came chest to chest with him. His heart was beating just as slowly and evenly as hers. After some stumbling pounds, they even started beating in the same rhythm.

There was a moment of silence. Their eyes locked, and Felicity could feel her stomach tingling with the way Oliver looked at her – looked at her like she had hung the sun and the moon and all the stars. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she leaned back in his arms, so she could look at him. It caused her chest to press closer to hers.

Slowly, Oliver leaned in. He brushed his lips against hers slightly before Felicity straightened up onto the tip of her toes to meet his lips in a gentle kiss. Her heartbeat quickened rapidly, and she soon found herself wanting so much more. As soon as she opened her lips to deepen the kiss, Oliver pulled away though.

Pushing her bottom lip forward and looking at him sulkily, she lowered herself back onto her heels. She was about to pout a little bit more for not taking this any further. At the way Oliver looked at her with even more amazement and something even deeper right now, Felicity felt the words getting stuck in her throat though.

“I love you.”

Oliver said the words out loud without any hesitation. There was no doubt in his voice, nothing that made her falter about the words he had said. She felt her heart stumbling in her chest before it started racing and pounding against her ribs with so much force that she was almost afraid they would break. It seemed like her heart just wanted to jump right into his arms.

“What?”

That stupid, little word escaped her lips before she could stop herself. She bit down on her tongue, avoiding his gaze for a moment. Soon, Oliver’s fingers were under her chin and lifted her face until they could lock eyes again though.

“I wanted to tell you this morning,” he said like she hadn’t just had the worst answer possible to his confession. “I don’t know why I didn’t tell you then. Maybe I was afraid that it would be too soon or… I don’t know. It doesn’t matter either because now I know that there is no reason not to tell you. We have done anything out of order anyway, so why not say this a lot sooner than most other couples would? I love you, Felicity, and I just want you to know. I don’t want you to feel pressured to say anything or-”

“I love you too.”

Just like that stupid question before, her answer fell from her lips all of a sudden now. She might not have been a hundred percent sure about this a minute ago, but she knew now that this was true. She loved Oliver, and she had probably loved him for much longer than she had thought.

There was a long moment of silence. Their eyes stayed locked onto each other as neither of them said a word. Several seconds passed before their lips crashed together, meeting in a hungry kiss. Felicity felt her body melting against Oliver’s easily, and his arms just tightened around her in response. He held her upright when she couldn’t stand straight anymore alone.

When their lips parted eventually, their foreheads stayed rested against each other’s. Oliver brushed his lips against hers one last time before he whispered, “Let’s go home.”

Felicity smiled, feeling all content at his words. “Yes. Let’s go home.”

They continued the rest of the way in silence, holding hands and enjoying the fact that their feelings for each other were out now. There was no doubt anymore that things between them could work out because they already did work out and they had probably worked out for quite some time already.

Felicity wondered when exactly she had fallen in love with Oliver, trying to pinpoint the moment everything had changed. While she honestly believed that it had been a process more than a moment a switch was flicked, she couldn’t deny that the night after she had seen her father again had definitely helped to change things to the way they were now. So maybe her father had been good for something after all.

“Home sweet home.”

After unlocking the door, Oliver gestured for her to step in first. With a smile on her lips, Felicity walked past him and let her fingers stroke over his chest as she did so. Just when her fingers were about to fall off his chest, Oliver grabbed her hand and pulled her back against him. His lips were already on hers, stealing a heated kiss from her, when he kicked the door shut behind him.

Despite her surprise about the sudden ambush, Felicity responded to the kiss immediately. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing herself as close to him as possible. When his tongue stroked into her mouth, Felicity moaned. Arching her back, she pushed herself even closer to him. She wanted to wrap her legs around his hips and rub herself against him, celebrating their confessions of love the way they should. Since Oliver was walking her backwards, probably wanting to take her to the sleeping area already, she was unable to do so though.

Oliver walked her back several steps. Despite her clouded thoughts, she realized that he had walked her towards the kitchen area. The thought that he would lift her onto the kitchen counter and take her here made the insides of her thighs tingle. Everything inside of her wanted to feel Oliver.

When, instead of lifting her onto anything, Oliver put his hands onto her hips and turned her around, so her back was pressed to his chest, Felicity gasped for breath. She already felt a moan rising in her throat at the thought of where this was going.

Oliver, instead of kissing down the side of her neck like he usually did in this position, just held her against him tightly and rested his chin on her shoulder though. Felicity frowned and opened her eyes reluctantly.

“What-“ The question what was going on died on her tongue when she saw a fondly remembered napkin framed at the wall. “What is that doing here?”

Felicity could feel Oliver smile against her shoulder, and it made her smile too. She leaned back into his arms with a sigh and rested her head against his shoulder.

“I thought it was a nice reminder.”

Oliver’s lips brushed against her pulse point gently before his arms loosened around her. He stepped away from her, taking the framed napkin from the wall and ticking off their ninth rule as they had broken it tonight.

“Now it’s only our tenth rule.”

With a smile, Felicity stepped next to him to look at the napkin too. Such a little thing, yet, such important for how things had started between them.

They stayed like that in silence for a moment longer until, eventually, Oliver turned his head. He smiled at her briefly before he captured her lips in a soft kiss. At first, Felicity thought it was going to end with a little peck. As soon as their lips brushed together though, the heated passion of before was back.

They both sighed in unison when their tongues stroked together. Oliver pushed the napkin and the frame away, making room on the counter. He turned around to her. Stepping closer he lifted her onto the counter like Felicity had already imagined he would. She spread her legs and it allowed her to rub herself against Oliver in that delicious way when she pulled him against her.

They both groaned in unison at the feeling, and Felicity just pressed herself even closer to Oliver. Her legs wrapped around his hips, to keep him close. When her front teeth buried into his bottom lip slightly, he groaned.

“We should make new rules.”

Felicity whispered the words against Oliver’s lips before she deepened the kiss once more. Her hands that rested flat against his chest, could feel the vibrations of the groan that rumbled through Oliver’s body. Turned on by the sound and the feeling, Felicity unbuttoned his shirt and let her fingertips brush over the exposed skin.

“Rules that are even harder to break,” Oliver agreed between two kisses. “Really hard rules.”

He emphasized his words by thrusting against her hard. Felicity gasped for breath and felt the need to move away a little bit, but Oliver wouldn’t let her. Gently grabbing some strands of her hair at the back of her head, he kept her against him. Felicity’s lungs were burning, but the desire was too strong to hold back. She responded to the kiss as passionately as Oliver did.

“We will never go on a vacation together,” she said eventually, whispering the words between some breathless panting. “At least not to Bali or Aruba or something like that.”

“Definitely not.”

Felicity moved the fabric of his shirt down his arms until it dropped to the floor. When Oliver’s arms wrapped back around her, she let her fingertips travel down his chest slowly. His skin was so soft, unlike the hard muscles beneath. He felt so good.

“We will never move in together.”

“Yeah because where would we move?”

Felicity chuckled against Oliver’s lips as she said that, but it ended in a desperate gasp for breath when Oliver moved his hand between them and stroked his fingers against her sensitive folds. Even through her panties she could feel how calloused his fingertips were. Or maybe it was just her imagination going wild because she knew what they actually felt like against every inch of her body.

Unable to take the burning of her lungs any longer, Felicity let her head fall back. Finally, she could breathe again. With the way her body felt like it had been set on fire, it was much needed. Meanwhile, Oliver’s lips drifted down the side of her neck slowly.

“It’s your turn,” Oliver whispered.

Pulling her bottom lips between her front teeth, Felicity bit back a long moan. It took her a moment to remember what Oliver was talking about. Eventually, she remembered the rules though.

“We will never take care of each other when we are sick.”

“And we will never celebrate each other’s holidays.”

“Oh, that’s good because I think that that Christmas is a little overrated and- Oh my god!”

Without any warning, Oliver had pushed her panties aside and thrusted two fingers into her tight and wet channel. Felicity could almost feel her walls clenching around his fingers already, and she couldn’t stop herself from thrusting against his fingers.

She guessed that not liking Christmas was definitely something that would help moving things along in the future.

“Next rule?”

Felicity had trouble thinking as Oliver curled his fingers inside of her, pressing his fingertips against her sensitive walls firmly. Her back arched, causing his fingers to slide even further into her.

“We will never have a dog,” Felicity said between clenched teeth.

“You are not coming to the opening of my restaurant or even support me with setting it up.”

“Easy. I just-“

Oliver flicked his thumb against her clit. Felicity’s fingers dug into Oliver’s shoulders in response. Every muscle in her body tensed as the pleasure increased. Only a couple of seconds later, the pleasure washed through her with as much force as a hurricane. Her nails dug into Oliver’s skin so deep that she was sure it would leave little, red marks there.

Slowly, Felicity opened her eyes. She was still panting. Her body still felt like it was floating, and she could really need a break to catch her breath and recover from this mind-blowing orgasm.

With the way Oliver looked at her with that smug expression on his face, Felicity found herself unable to grant Oliver this victory.

“We will never have inside jokes or rituals.”

Her voice sounded surprisingly firm, but Felicity was sure that Oliver could hear the slight shaking in it. At least the grin on his lips as he pulled his fingers from her core told her so. He lifted his fingers to his lips and licked off her juices. He was looking at her the entire time. Felicity was weirdly turned on by the sight, but she bit down on her tongue to bite back a little sound that threatened to fall from her lips.

“Rituals like making rules to break you mean?”

Felicity chuckled. “I guess we already broke it.”

Smiling, Oliver leaned forward and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. His hands framed her face, and his thumbs brushed over her cheekbones. Felicity sighed against his lips, melting into his arms. Unlike their heated kisses before, this one was slow and gentle.

“We will stop with the great sex.”

Chuckling, Felicity let her head fall back. “That works perfectly with my last rule because we will definitely stop with the phenomenal sex.”

Smiling, Oliver leaned back in and kissed her once more. Felicity’s legs tightened around his hips, and she started moving against him again. Despite still feeling the last hints of her orgasm brushing through her veins, she already found herself wanting more.

“What’s your last rule?” Felicity asked between two kisses. “You still got one option.”

Oliver hummed against her lips, and the feeling made Felicity sigh once more. She could feel Oliver hardening in his pants, and it made the heat that had been pooling in the pit of her stomach starting to coil.

“We will never get married.”

Felicity had just been about to stroke her fingers into Oliver’s hair. At his words, she stopped though. With a slight frown on her forehead, she pulled back and looked at him. Oliver didn’t look exactly sure about his words either. He quickly cleared his throat and moved his fingers through his hair, chuckling nervously.

“That’s a little soon, right?”

“Kind of, yes.”

Oliver pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and puckered his lips. He nodded slowly, more to himself than to her it seemed. He looked away for a long moment like he tried to figure out how to overcome the sudden awkwardness between them. When he looked back at her and grinned, Felicity perked up her eyebrows.

“I was thinking long-term, you know? So we don’t have to set up new rules next week.”

“Oh, really?” Felicity asked with an amused grin.

“Mhm,” Oliver hummed in agreement, nodding his head. “Yep.”

“Still might be a little bit soon.”

Oliver’s grin widened. “We will never ever get married.”

Felicity chuckled, letting her head fall back for a moment. “You are not helping here.”

“No?” Oliver asked, peppering kisses over her cheek.

“No,” Felicity replied. “Not at all.”

“Maybe this helps.”

Oliver moved his hands into her hair and angled her head forward again, so he could kiss her once more. Their tongues met in a slow dance like they had so many times before. Soon, their kisses were growing passionate though and they continued where things had been interrupted by Oliver’s non-proposal.

Having sex and making rules to break one day. It felt like the very beginning, just better because now, there was just so much love there. Love just made it perfect.

****

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it, Lovelies! This is the story of Oliver, Felicity and those 10 little rules that were always meant to be broken. Thanks all of you for your lovely comments. They really were appreciated. :)
> 
> My next project "Do you remember" - a 4th part of There goes my life and, with that, a sequel to The best mistake, In my daughter's eyes and To make you feel my love - is going great. I finished 7 of 13 chapters already. With the start of school earlier this week, I will have less time to write, but I will do my best.
> 
> In the meantime, I am also planning the next project already. If you haven't voted yet, or you want to vote, you can do that
> 
> [here](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSctEAnfTNWdocLomiRXtk5fPLJtIc-RJqMTKMIDs4doJszvdw/viewform?usp=sf_link)
> 
> .


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